Eddie Redmayne Transforms Into Transgender Artist Lili Elbe In First Trailer For The Danish Girl

The first trailer for Tom Hooper’s ‘The Danish Girl’ has been unveiled, with Eddie Redmayne taking on one of the most challenging roles of his still burgeoning career.

He plays the role of Danish artist Einer Wegener, who in transitioning into Lili Elbe became the first known recipient of gender reassignment surgery.

'Ex Machina’ star Alicia Vikander plays Wegener’s wife Gerda, a painter, who, when she asks her husband one day to fill in for a female model who has stood her up, sets in motion a chain of life-changing events.

It’s based on the 2000 published novel of the same name by David Ebershoff, which became an international best-seller, translated into a dozen languages.

Although it’s wildly premature, there’s a potential perfect storm approaching here. Getting under the skin of an inspirational real-life character is undeniable Oscar bait.

Redmayne himself found that out when he won last year’s Best Actor gong at the Oscars, playing Professor Stephen Hawking in 'The Theory of Everything’.

Throw in an Oscar-winning director (Tom Hooper, for 'The King’s Speech’) and suddenly the odds are looking even better.

The entirely unforeseen outpouring of support for Bruce Jenner’s very public decision to transition into Caitlyn Jenner could also play a part in hyping this particular biopic too.

It’s a subject that is becoming increasingly prevalent, so the timing – not to mention its pre-Oscar release date – could be just right for delving into the historic nature of transgender issues.

Plus, from the snippets in the trailer alone, Redmayne appears to be turning in yet another solidly emotional performance.

It’s out across the UK on 1 January, 2016.

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Image credit: Universal