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Eddie Redmayne fans have been given the first glimpse of the Oscar nominee as transgender artist Lili Elbe in his next film The Danish Girl.
Based on David Ebershoff’s fictionalised account of Elbe’s life, the story follows Danish painter Einar Wegener’s journey from posing in women’s clothes for his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander) after her model failed to show up, to becoming one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
"I believe that I'm a woman," Elbe tells Gerda in one poignant scene. "I believe so too," she replies.
Ben Whishaw, Matthias Schoenaerts and Amber Heard also star in the film, which is tipped for triumph at next year’s awards season.
Redmayne won Best Actor at the most recent Oscars for his acclaimed portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, and critics are already touting him for consecutive success.
Eddie Redmayne on screen
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Lucinda Coxon has written the script, which director Tom Hooper first read and loved while he was making 2010 Oscars hit The King’s Speech.
Billed as "an extraordinary love story about finding your true self", The Danish Girl is due for UK release on 1 January 2016.
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