The Danish Girl is a 2015 British biographical romantic drama film directed by Tom Hooper, based on the 2000 fictional novel of the same name by David Ebershoff and loosely inspired by the lives of Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. The film stars Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex change surgery, Alicia Vikander as Gerda Wegener, Matthias Schoenaerts as Hans Axgil, and Ben Whishaw as Henrik. The film received some criticism for its inaccurate portrayal of historical events, but Redmayne and Vikander’s performances received widespread acclaim and nominations for all of the major acting awards. For her performance as Gerda, Vikander won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.