Halle Berry faced backlash online for an interview in which she discussed playing a transgender man in an upcoming movie. The actress has since apologised and confirmed she's no longer playing the role.
The actress participated in an Instagram live interview on Friday. During it she said she was preparing for the role, though the official casting had not been confirmed.
She said: "[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."
She added: "Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project."
The Academy award winner was criticised for misgendering the character.
A number of Hollywood talents, including the team behind Netflix’s 'Disclosure' documentary, pointed out the problematic casting.
Hi @halleberry, we heard you're considering playing a trans man in your next project. We ask that you please watch @Disclosure_Doc on @netflix first to understand how cis actors like yourself acting in trans roles has major cultural consequences offscreen. #DisclosureNetflix
— Disclosure Documentary (@Disclosure_Doc) July 6, 2020
Halle Berry issued an official apology yesterday on Twitter.
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."
— Halle Berry (@halleberry) July 7, 2020
Berry did not reveal the name of the movie the character would have appeared in.
The actress received praise from GLAAD and the 'Disclosure' team for her decision.
We are pleased that @halleberry 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_Doc to learn about trans representation in media. https://t.co/SAxSvXxbk3
— GLAAD (@glaad) July 7, 2020
Thank you @halleberry for listening and learning. We hope #DisclosureNetflix is one of many educational tools you and others can rely to inspire and strengthen allyship. https://t.co/SA71QFsgAN
— Disclosure Documentary (@Disclosure_Doc) July 7, 2020