Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl (Photo: Still from the film)
Swedish actress Alicia Vikander scooped the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role in the transgender drama The Danish Girl.
Directed by Tom Hooper, the film was also nominated for three other Oscars, Eddie Redmayne for best actor, best costume design and best production design.
The Danish Girl is based on the true story of artists Gerda Wegener (played by Vikander) and her husband Einar Wegener (Redmayne), who was one of the first people to undergo a sex change operation at the dawn of the 1920s, to become the woman Lili Elbe.
It was banned in several Arab countries, yet was screened for the general public in select cinemas in Egypt.
This marks Vikander’s first nomination, and her win was against nominees Kate Winslet for her role in Steve Jobs, Jennifer Jason Leigh for The Hateful Eight, Rooney Mara for Carol, and Rachel McAdams for Spotlight.
Vikander’s role also earned her the Screen Actors Guild award.
After her break-out in the Oscar-nominated Danish film A Royal Affair in 2012, the actress has also appeared in several American films including Anna Karenina, Burnt, The Man From UNCLE, Ex Machina, Seventh Son.
Her upcoming films include The Light Between Oceans, opposite her off-screen partner Michael Fassbender, as well as Jason Bourne opposite Matt Damon, and Tulip fever with Judi Dench and Jack O’Connell.
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