Eddie Redmayne has spoken out to clarify comments he made about the transgender community at the BAFTAs. The Oscar-nominee is reported to have suggested that his film The Danish Girl is responsible for the rise of trans awareness around the world, prompting criticism on social media.
According to the BBC, Eddie said: "It's extraordinary how trans issues have come into the mainstream media since we made Danish Girl."
The quote was shared on the BBC Entertainment News Twitter account, and soon received a number of comments from people who believed Eddie's statement was far from the truth.
"Lucky for all those trans activists working tirelessly on this issue for decades that you decided to make a film then huh," one tweeted. Another commented: "No offense Eddie but I think a lot of those issues are about how Hollywood won't cast trans people as trans people."
Eddie has since released a statement to BuzzFeed News, in which he clarified his comments and reiterated his support for the transgender community.
Eddie released a statement to clarify his comments
The statement said: "I hope what I said was not misconstrued. In the four years since I started work on The Danish Girl, trans stories, lives and issues have burst into the mainstream media with people like Laverne Cox, Janet Mock, Mya Taylor, Rebecca Root, Jake Graf, Caitlyn Jenner and the countless others pushing the needle forward and making history on their own terms.
"As I've said before, it has been an honour to be part of this conversation in some small way by sharing Lili and Gerda's story. There is still a long way to go, and allies of the trans community (including me) need to continue our support."
Eddie has spoken openly about transgender issues while promoting The Danish Girl, previously telling Entertainment Weekly that he "fell into all the clichés of ignorance".
He added: "I didn't realise that gender and sexuality weren't related. I confused the terms transvestitism and transgender. But what's lovely is, the second you understand the difference, you see how gigantic it is and how important it is that we educate ourselves."