Incredibly pretty actresses’ making themselves look rather ugly for certain dramatic roles has always helped critics praise their work who can now see past their beauty and as if by magic, for the first time notice how good of a performer they really are.

Strangely, it also helps when they turn lesbian!

It worked for an Oscar win for Nicole Kidman on THE HOURS (lesbo with a funny nose). It also worked for an Oscar win for Charlize Theron in MONSTER (lesbo, who goes 100% make-over ugly!), both their respective career highlights. Now both actresses’ are to work together for the first time on THE DANISH GIRL and it’s Nicole that gets the controversial physical role, playing the world’s first Post-Op Transsexual, Theron plays his/her wife.

It’s the true story of Danish artists Einar and Greta Wegener whose portraits became popular in the 1920’s. Greta (Theron) encouraged Einar (Kidman) to adopt a female guise for one shoot but Einar loved the look and feeling so much she took the landmark operation to become the word’s first Post-Op Transsexual in 1931 that shocked both the world and their marriage to the core.

Presumably, a male lead will be needed to play Einar pre-op.

Anand Tucker (SHOPGIRL, AND WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER?) will direct from a script by Lucinda Coxon (a little seen movie THE HEART OF ME) based on David Ebershoff’s 2000 Viking bestseller.

Pre-production has begun on the movie, which should begin filming soon according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Tucker is currently finishing off his adaptation of David Peace’s 70’s British crime thriller NINETEEN EIGHTY-THREE, Kidman is finishing the ensemble music NINE for Rob Marshall and Charlize Theron has just finished production on THE ROAD and is keen and able to start.

Sounds like powerful and compelling stuff, who doesn’t love sexually perverse real life stories like this?