Alicia Vikander Reflects On ‘Danish Girl’ Controversy & Says The Film Was “A Learning Experience”

Back in 2014, Alicia Vikander broke out in a big way thanks to her incredible performance in “Ex Machina.” She followed that up with an Oscar-winning role in “The Danish Girl.” From there, she’s become one of the biggest names in Hollywood. But that latter role has been the subject of criticism since shortly after it was released due to Eddie Redmayne leading the cast as a trans woman. And nearly a decade later, Vikander isn’t shying away from discussing that controversy.

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Speaking to Insider, Vikander talked about her role in “The Danish Girl” and why she supports trans representation in films. For those that don’t remember, “The Danish Girl” is a biographical drama inspired by the life of the first person to receive sexual reassignment surgery. In the film, Redmayne plays the woman that undergoes the procedure and Vikander plays her partner. As you might suspect, the film has been criticized pretty heavily for how Redmayne was cast in the lead role instead of a trans actor.

“When we were making the film, it was such a learning experience,” said Vikander “I think Eddie did a wonderful job in the role.”

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She added, “I totally understand the criticism that has been out there because we need to make change and we need to make sure that trans men and women actually get a foot in and get work. My only concern is that we may need to get to a point in the end where we have trans women and men playing cis characters. Because that is the main thing, you know?”

As mentioned, Vikander would go on to win an Oscar for her role and Redmayne was nominated for an Academy Award but didn’t eventually win. Obviously, though controversial even at its release, Vikander and Redmayne have gone on to still become some of the biggest names in the industry.