# In 2014, Nicole Kidman walked away from a controversial movie role. Years later, Eddie Redmayne regretted taking it

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-2014-nicole-kidman-walked-away-from-a-controversial-movie-role-years-later-eddie-redmayne-regretted-taking-it/
- Published: 2026-10-22T18:15:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T20:00:38+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/in-2014-nicole-kidman-walked-away-from-a-controversial-movie-role/
- Topics: Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Kidman left the long-delayed film.
- Redmayne later regretted playing Lili Elbe.
- The casting debate highlighted calls for fairer representation.

## Summary

Nicole Kidman left a film adaptation of *The Danish Girl* after the project spent years in development, and Eddie Redmayne later took the lead role. His casting as Lili Elbe, a transgender woman, drew criticism over whether a cisgender man should play the part and the lack of opportunities for transgender actors.

The film was based on David Ebershoff’s fictionalised account of Elbe, an early recipient of gender-affirming surgery. Redmayne received an Academy Award nomination for his performance, but later said he would not accept the role now and called taking it a mistake. The article says the controversy contributed to wider discussion about representation and casting.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.