Eddie Redmayne would reject transgender Danish Girl role now

Eddie Redmayne would reject transgender Danish Girl role now

Eddie Redmayne has confessed playing a transgender person in 'The Danish Girl' was "a mistake".

The 39-year-old actor starred as transgender woman Lili Elbe in the 2015 flick, for which he earned an Oscar nomination.

However, the 'Fantastic Beasts' star has admitted he regrets playing the role.

In an interview with The Sunday Times newspaper, he admitted: “No, I wouldn’t take it on now. I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake.

“The bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people don’t have a chair at the table. There must be a levelling, otherwise we are going to carry on having these debates.”

Eddie has previously voiced his support for the transgender community.

He insisted it's "culturally imperative" to "respect transgender people", following a controversial comment by J.K. Rowling, for which she was accused of being transphobic.

The 56-year-old author - who is best known for penning the 'Harry Potter' books - came under fire for seemingly invalidating transgender people, when she took to Twitter to slam an article for using the phrase "people who menstruate" rather than "women".

J.K's tweet read: "'People who menstruate.' I'm sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud? (sic)"

And, Eddie - who stars as Newt Scamander in the 'Harry Potter' spin-off movie series 'Fantastic Beasts' - spoke out to "disagree" with the award-winning writer, insisting "trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid".

He said at the time: "Respect for transgender people remains a cultural imperative, and over the years I have been trying to constantly educate myself. This is an ongoing process.

"As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand. I disagree with Jo's comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid.

"I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it's time to let them do so."