It’s called acting

When the danish girl’s first promotional photos of actor Eddie Redmayne n character as Lili Elbe surfaced, entertainment and gay news sites took immediate notice. Comment threads were overwhelmingly positive, but almost immediately, objections were voiced over the casting of a “non-trans” or “cisgender male” actor as Lili. I was surprised to read early reviews of the film in which some critics had taken up that same issue.

I didn’t know the story of Elbe’s gender transition in the early 1900s, but she was one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery. It was encouraging that this story was in the hands of skilled and renowned film professionals. This film project has garnered early positive reviews as a gorgeous creation with astonishing performances in a tenderly conveyed story.

Though The Danish Girl is “inspired by” the story of Lili Elbe and her wife Gerda, it is not a documentary, and while the film promises exposure of trans history, a continuation of conversation about trans issues, and high-level handling of the subject, the main complaint has been that a non-trans actor is playing the role of a transgender woman. This brings up a few questions:

Who should have been cast?
Making a major motion picture requires a mountain of money. Actor selections must pass the scrutiny of marketing and publicity experts who are often the ones getting studio heads and producers to open their wallets. Another consideration in casting the lead would be everybody-else-associated-with-the-film. Top talent — actors, directors of photography, artistic and costume designers, music composers, et al — are attracted to projects because of who is attached at the top. With a project of this magnitude, failure to cast the right pair of leads might have prevented the film from being made entirely.

Should a transman or trans-woman actor have been cast?

The character in the film requires an actor who can portray a man — specifically a husband in a loving relationship — who transitions to a woman. While some online commenters suggested transwomen actors, would they have been convincing as a pre-transition man? I asked and received replies such as: “We won’t know if they’re not given a chance.” With $15 million on the line, this probably isn’t a situation where relative newcomers will receive “a chance.”

Would a prominent trans actor take the role?
UK pop singer Will Young recently released a music video for the track Brave Man. The video stars actor “Finn” (no last name I could find), who is transgender. Finn released a statement to Pink News saying he is proud of the video, but doesn’t want to be known as “that trans actor.”

Would the lead role in The Danish Girl create an image for a trans actor that he or she might never overcome? Actor Jaye Davidson of The Crying Game (1992) acknowledged that his career in film and TV acting was cut short because he couldn’t move past that image in the minds of directors and casting agents.

Does demanding trans actors for trans characters impose undesired limitations?
If only trans actors should be cast in roles of transgender characters, does it not follow that only cisgender actors should be cast for cisgender characters? This issue is very similar to those who called for gay or lesbian actors to have first dibs on gay or lesbian roles. In the course of that argument, several prominent directors pointed out that gay and lesbian actors portray heterosexual characters, and no actor wants to be confined to a “casting closet.” When Neil Patrick Harris was asked about his TV role as a womanizer, he responded, “It’s called ‘acting’ for a reason.”

During a Women’s Studies college course, my professor brought up the term “more equal.” She pointed out that after centuries of civil and social mistreatment, some women’s activists wanted extra advantages for women because of an unfair past. She asked rhetorically how women’s issues could ever move ahead with that burden.

Are stories about transgender characters too sacred to be portrayed by non-trans actors? Redmayne is an intellectual actor and has repeatedly expressed his concern for transgender issues. He recently expressed the vulnerability he felt in the role and how it heightened his awareness of the judgment, abuse, and violence endured by transgender people. Additionally, he sought advice and guidance from transgender people, praising director Lana Wachowski (The Matrix, Sense8) for her openness to and patience with his questions.