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Eddie Redmayne plays down Oscar hype for transgender role in The Danish Girl

The film has not received such glowing reviews as the hype surrounding the movie might have suggested

Sunday 13 September 2015 17:17 BST

Eddie Redmayne as transgender artist Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl (Working Title/Universal Pictures)

Eddie Redmayne has dismissed suggestions that his latest role as a transgender artist in the upcoming film The Danish Girl could land him a second Oscar.

The British star has played down the buzz surrounding his performance, which many have speculated could match his turn as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Lead Actor earlier this year.

The Danish Girl sees the 33-year-old play Lili Elbe, born Einar Wegener, who became one of earliest recipients of sex reassignment surgery in the Thirties.

Asked at the Toronto Film Festival about whether he could stand to win a second Oscar, Redmayne said: “As far as I am concerned it has been such a long road to coming out into the world that frankly the fact that people are beginning to see it means everything to us.”

But the film has not received such glowing reviews as the hype surrounding the movie might have suggested. The Independent’s chief film reviewer Geoffrey Macnab gave it three stars, writing: “This is a transgender story that is very careful not to startle or offend its audience. That is one of the reasons it doesn’t have quite the emotional kick that might have been expected.”

The real reason Eddie Redmayne was cast as a trans woman

However, he did concede Redmayne played the role with “extraordinary sensitivity and dignity”.

Oscars predictions

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1/16Oscars predictions

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Carol

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Oscars predictions

The Danish Girl

Eddie Redmayne returns in another challenging role as pioneering transgender artist Lili Elbe, who became the first man to undergo gender reassignment surgery. The 33-year-old Brit won last time around for his performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything and was so excited then that we're not sure he could actually cope with the ecstasy of triumphing twice.

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Legend

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Inside Out

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Macbeth

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Snowden

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In the Heart of the Sea

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Jurassic World

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The Lady In The Van

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Redmayne added that Elbe, who died aged 38 in 1931, was “an extraordinarily courageous and brilliant woman….an icon of the 20th century”.

The actor, who is due to star next in JK Rowling’s upcoming Harry Potter spin-off film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, told the film festival he appreciated the “generosity and kindness” of all the transgender people who came forward to speak to the cast and crew in preparation for the movie.

The Danish Girl will be released in UK cinemas on 1 January.

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