Alicia Vikander Wins Oscar For Best Supporting Actress

Alicia Vikander took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the 88th Academy Awards on Sunday, despite the questionable necessity of dividing acting categories by gender.

Vikander won the honor for her performance in "The Danish Girl," in which she portrays Gerda, the wife of Lili Elbe (Eddie Redmayne), one of the first people to live publicly as a trans woman and undergo sex-reassignment surgery. In an interview with People, Redmayne described Vikander as "a force of nature."

"She's just the most extraordinary talent. She has this deep, visceral relationship with her emotions. She challenged me to step up my game continuously," the actor said.

In her acceptance speech, Vikander thanked Redmayne, "The Danish Girl" director Tom Hooper, along with her friends and parents.

"Thank you for giving me the belief that anything can happen, even though I would never have believed this," she said.

Vikander is also known for roles in "Ex Machina" and "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." This is her first Academy Award nomination, and her first win.