'The Danish Girl' Director Explains Why He Didn't Cast a Trans Actor for Lead Role

Eddie Redmayne plays Lili Elbe, one of the first recipients to ever undergo male-to-female reassignment surgery, in The Danish Girl. The English actor's latest role has already generated a lot of positive feedback and even early conversations of award nominations, after its Venice world premiere screening. Despite the praise the film received, questions about transgender issues circulated during the press conference, including the choice to not use a transgender to play the lead role. Director Tom Hooper recently spoke with Variety to explain his casting decisions.

"Access to trans actors, women and men, to roles, both trans roles and cisgender roles, is utterly key, and I feel that within the industry at the moment there is a problem," said Hooper. "There is a huge pool of talented trans actors and the access to parts is limited. I would champion any shift where the industry could move forward and embrace trans actors in trans and cisgender roles and also celebrate and encourage trans filmmakers."

Redmayne, the 33-year-old actor in the lead role, has a knack for delivering powerful performances whenever he embodies a new character. He blew audiences away with his striking portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, so much so that he went on to win an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG award for the role.

Hooper went on to discuss why he believed Redmayne was the perfect fit for the role, siting the young actor's talent and the sense that "there is something in Eddie that's drawn to the feminine." His focus was to find someone who could depict this unique love story between two people and show how love for yourself can go a long way. Redmayne took the role very seriously, researching Elbe's story, speaking with members of the transgender community from different generations and learning about the struggles of transitioning. The entire process had a major influence on his execution of the role.

Redmayne recalled a certain Los Angeles trans couple in particular that stuck out to him while conducting his research. He met a woman named Cadence and her partner Trista, who've stayed together since she was living as a man. Cadence shared the importance of authenticity and empathy for her partner with Redmayne, which resonated with him throughout the filmmaking process.

"From the very beginning we talked in terms of the idea that Eddie was playing a woman that was going to be revealed," said Hooper. "So rather than it being a process of how Eddie might learn to imitate a woman it was about how he might create the impression that he was uncovering a latent femininity, a woman inside. This guided us through the process."