Eddie Redmayne on his “problematic” role playing trans in ‘The Danish Girl’: “I learned my lesson”
Cabaret‘, I’d learned my lesson, and I didn’t take the part on without knowing exactly what I was doing.As far as what he exists as on the page [the musical is based on the 1939 novel ‘Goodbye to Berlin‘ by Christopher Isherwood], there is no character description for him [the Emcee].
He doesn’t exist in the book and now has been played iconically by queer actors [Joel Grey, Alan Cumming].Certainly, for example, in the Alan Cumming version [the 1999 Broadway revival], at the end of the piece, the Emcee, his costume is taken off, and he’s revealed in a concentration camp outfit with a pink triangle … which was incredibly moving and was incredibly powerful on Broadway, and I think had sort of made people go, ‘This is a gay character.’ So I absolutely understood the questioning of that.I think when I was cast [in the London West End revival in 2022 and again on Broadway in 2024] people assumed that I was gonna be doing — and because of the work that I’d done previously — that I was taking an iconically queer role, and while I absolutely understand that discussion, I also think that that character is descriptionless and deserves any form of interpretation.I was upset by the backlash when it was announced, but I had faith in my own take on the role.Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.A post shared by Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club (@kitkatclubnyc)Eddie Redmayne delivers an elastic performance set in an immersive space that reimagines the Kander and Ebb musical for a new generation.Sign up for the Queerty newsletter to stay on top of the hottest stories in LGBTQ+ entertainment, politics, and culture.Don't forget to share:.
