First Poster Of Eddie Redmayne As Transgender Pioneer In The Danish Girl

The first poster of Eddie Redmayne as transgender pioneer Lili Elbe has been unveiled.

The Oscar-winning ‘Theory of Everything’ star is the lead in 'The Danish Girl’, about the transformation of Danish artist Einar Wegener into Elbe in 1920s.

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She is generally regarded as the first person to undergo gender reassignment surgery, which at the time was largely conceptual.

Redmayne stars opposite Alicia Vikander, who plays Elbe’s wife Gerda Gottlieb, also a painter.

Waud persuaded her husband to pose in women’s clothing for her, after a model failed to show up for a sitting.

Over time, Elbe continued to dress as a woman, and eventually they moved to Paris from Copenhagen, where he could live openly as a woman and Gottlieb could be openly lesbian.

Redmayne, who played physicist Stephen Hawking in 'The Theory of Everything’, has described the role as his most 'challenging’ to date, and lost two stone to play the part.

He told GQ: “I was actually offered The Danish Girl before Hawking… People go, 'Oh are you doing this transformative thing?’ It’s not a concerted choice. I think it will be a unique experience.”

He also added that he spoke to Lana Wachowski, his director on 'Jupiter Ascending’, and who has transitioned herself, for advice.

“It’s a very famous story within the trans community. I spoke to Lana early on when I was thinking about doing it.”

The film is being based on the 2000 novel of the same by David Ebershoff, and is being directed by Tom Hooper, who helmed 'The King’s Speech’ and 'Les Miserables’.

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

Image credits: Universal/Famefly.net