Eddie Redmayne has expressed his regret over playing a transgender character in the 2015 movie The Danish Girl, despite having "the best intentions" at the time.
The actor, whose performance as transgender artist Lili Elbe saw him nominated for Best Actor at the Academy awards, said he "wouldn't take it on now".
"I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake," he told The Times of London.
"The bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people don't have a chair at the table.
"There must be a levelling, otherwise we are going to carry on having these debates."
Redmayne's casting caused controversy with some critics insisting the role should have been given to a transgender actor.
At the time, Redmayne agreed the debate around such roles was an "incredibly important discussion", admitting there had been "years of cisgender success of the back of trans stories" in an interview with IndieWire.
"And for me, I hope there's a day when there are more trans actors and trans actresses playing trans parts, but also cisgender parts.
"And I hope - as an actor one hopes - that one should be able to play any sort of part if one plays it with a sense of integrity and responsibility."
Last year, the star of Harry Potter spin-off film series Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them spoke out against author JK Rowlings' comments about the transgender community.
"I disagree with Jo's comments," Redmayne said in a statement in June 2020.
"Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid. I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse.
"They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it's time to let them do so."
