Halle Berry apologized after declaring that she would be interested in playing a transgender man in an upcoming film.
The Hollywood actress has now declared that she should not have been considered for the role and has vowed to be an “ally” of the transgender community.
Berry, 53, had previously said in an Instagram Live that she was preparing for the role and wanted to “dive deep” into “this world.”
” I think about [playing] a character where the woman is a trans character, it is therefore a woman who has become a man, “she said.
“She is a character in a project that I love that I could do. ”
“I want to discover this world, to understand this world. I want to dive deep into the way I made Bruised, ”she added, referring to her next sports film.
“Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and it will probably be my next project, and that will require me to cut my hair. ”
She has been accused of misinterpreting the character by repeatedly referring to them as a woman, and many have said that the role should go to a trans actor.
In a later tweet, she wrote, “Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to discuss my thoughts on a future role as a transgender man and I would like to apologize for these comments.
“As a cisgender woman, I now understand that I should not have considered this role and that the transgender community should definitely have the opportunity to tell its own stories.
“I am grateful for the advice and critical conversation over the past few days and will continue to listen, educate and learn from this error.
“I swear to be an ally in using my voice to promote better screen representation, both in front of and behind the camera. ”
LGBT rights group GLAAD welcomed Berry’s apology, saying, “We are pleased that @halleberry has listened to and learned from the concerns of transgender people. Other powerful people should do the same. ”
The documentary Netflix Disclosure, which explores trans performance on television and in the movies, also thanked the actress for “listening and learning.”
The main transgender roles are largely attributed to cisgender actors – people who identify themselves as the gender that was assigned to them at birth.
In 2018, Avengers star Scarlett Johansson abandoned the movie Rub And Tug after facing a backlash for being portrayed as a transgender man.
Jared Leto, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Huffman all played transgender characters.
