Halle Berry is walking away from a role as a transgender person, saying she wants to use her “voice to promote better representation on-screen.” Earlier this year, Berry was cast as a transgender man in an upcoming film.
Berry faced criticism for taking the role, and for comments she made during an Instagram Live interview while talking about studying for the role, in which she mis-identified the gender of the character, repeatedly calling the character “she”.
This week the actor apologized for her remarks and said she is stepping away from the role.
— Halle Berry (@halleberry) July 7, 2020
“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,” she wrote. “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.”
The Twitter account for GLAAD responded to Berry’s comment, and encouraged her and others to watch the documentary “Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen” on Netflix.
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
