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Could this role win Redmayne his second Oscar? |
The year is 2015, but Hollywood continues to whitewash, cis-wash and push heteronormativity onto the movie industry at every possible turn. Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton as Hebrew and Egyptian characters in 2014s Exodus: Gods and Kings. Johnny Depp as Tonto, a Native American, in The Lone Ranger, released 2013. Jared Leto’s (a cis male) Oscar winning portrayal as a trans woman in Dallas Buyers Club. It seems that unless you are cis, heterosexual and white, you are pushed away, to the side. This clearly is a major problem, especially in a time where equal representation is so important.
Therefore, it is no surprise that the casting of Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl has received such harsh criticism from the LGBT+ community, with many calling to boycott the film. Redmayne, a cis male, who won an Oscar for his portrayal as Stephen Hawking’s in last years The Theory of Everything, hopes to repeat that success in another touching film. The Danish Girl, directed by Tom Hooper (previous works include The King’s Speech and Les Misérables) follows the story of Lili Elbe (Redmayne), a trans woman and one of the first known recipients of gender reassignment survey.
The past year has seen a new light and emphasis on transgender rights and issues like never before. 2015 has been the year that Caitlyn Jenner was introduced into the world. 17 million tuned into see the former Olympic athlete open up in an in-depth interview, starting an international debate. Public opinion and support for the trans community seems to be on the rise. However, the portrayal of trans people in TV and cinema is still very limited. Trans women are often used simply as comic relief, with the “joke” being a cheap mockery at their genitalia. The portrayal of trans men is next to invisible. It’s just not fair. Trans people are more than this, they are a bigger part of society. They are doctors. They are teachers. They are politicians. They are mothers. They are fathers. They are human. When will Hollywood stop the transphobia and reflect this?
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Stonewall, an upcoming film whitewashing and cis-washing the LGBT+ rights movement. |
Some may argue that I am simply being “whiney”, that trans representation is growing, the casting of one cis-male in one film won’t hurt. And they are right, the representation of trans people in media is growing. Laverne Cox’s breakout role as Sophia Burset, the feisty Sophia in Orange is The New Black, made the actress and activist an international star. Transparent, a show focusing on a father who comes out a trans, has received critical acclaim and won numerous awards. But they are wrong in the sense that the casting of Redmayne as Lili Elbe is okay. The Danish Girl really is a beautiful and important story that deserves to be told correctly. If we want society to change, we must show the public that trans people are humans, with a story (The Danish Girl being a perfect example) and, in the case of trans women, not just “men in a dress”. The best way to do this, of course, is by fair and equal representation.
I must give props to Redmayne where it is due. He has taken on yet another challenging role, and early reviews have said he plays Lili exquisitely. The British actor has also shown strong support for the trans community and I believe his heart is in the right place. But my plea to him, and to Hollywood itself is, please try and cast transgender people in transgender roles. Help tell their touching stories, and please do it correctly.
You can catch The Danish Girl (or not) in cinemas from November 27th.