Halle Berry, an American actress, has backed out from playing a transgender man in a new film after facing backlash from the LGBTQ+ community.
The backlash began after Berry discussed prepping for the role in a live Instagram interview. “[It’s] a character where the woman is a trans character, so she’s a woman that transitioned into a man. She’s a character in a project I love that I might be doing.”
During the interview, however, she spoke several times about the character’s gender. “Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project,” she said.
Halle Berry in trouble
Upon seeing Berry‘s interview, the Twitter account for the transgender-spotlighting Netflix documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen asked Halle Berry to watch the film to “understand how cis actors like yourself acting in trans roles has major cultural consequences offscreen.”
“Hi [Halle Berry], we heard you’re considering playing a trans man in your next project. We ask that you please watch [Disclosure] on [Netflix] first to understand how cis actors like yourself acting in trans roles has major cultural consequences offscreen.”
After the backlash, Berry issued a formal statement on Twitter, announcing she was turning down the role.
She wrote: “Over the weekend I had the opportunity to discuss my consideration of an upcoming role as a transgender man. And I’d like to apologize for those remarks.
“As a cisgender woman, I now understand that I should not have considered this role. And that the transgender community should undeniably have the opportunity to tell their own stories.
“I am grateful for the guidance and critical conversation over the past few days and will continue to listen, educate and learn from this mistake. I vow to be an ally in using my voice to promote better representation on-screen; both in front of and behind the camera.”
After Berry’s apology, the account thanked her for “listening and learning.”
The LGBTQ rights organization GLAAD also responded, saying “We are pleased that Halle Berry listened to the concerns of transgender people and learned from them. Other powerful people should do the same. A good place to start is by watching ‘Disclosure’ to learn about trans representation in media.”
