Caitlyn Jenner finds a fan in Eddie Redmayne ahead of trans film
Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne has voiced his support for Cailtyn Jenner, ahead of his performance as trans woman Lili Elbe.
Redmayne, who plays Elbe in the upcoming film ‘The Danish Girl’, opened up in an interview with Out magazine.
Of Jenner’s big reveal on the cover of Vanity Fair, he said: “I was in New York when the Vanity Fair cover came out, and I was reading the New York Times and all of the op-ed pieces that were being written about it,” said Redmayne.
“The dialogue was so rich and full, with everyone having opinions. Then I came back and saw the trailer for the film.
“I absolutely salute her courage. Hers is a very specific story, and it’s one that shouldn’t stand for everybody’s. But it is amazing what she’s gone through and how she’s done it.”
The ‘Theory of Everything’ star also said he knew very little about trans issues before he became interested in the role as Elbe.
“I knew nothing about it, going in,” he said. “It felt like it was a piece about authenticity and love and the courage it takes to be yourself.
“People were so kind and generous with their experience, but also so open,” said Redmayne.
“Virtually all of the trans men and women I met would say: ‘Ask me anything.’ They know that need for cisgender people to be educated.”
He continued: “I felt like, I’m being given this extraordinary experience of being able to play this woman, but with that comes this responsibility of not only educating myself but hopefully using that to educate [an audience]. Gosh, it’s delicate. And complicated.”
Going on, the star said he thought trans issues were coming forth into the public eye, and that trans people faced a “civil rights moment”.
He went on: “My greatest ignorance when I started was that gender and sexuality were related,” he said of his own education. “And that’s one of the key things I want to hammer home to the world: You can be gay or straight, trans man or woman, and those two things are not necessarily aligned.”
