Guy Pearce Apologizes for ‘Insensitive’ Tweet About Trans Casting and Acting

After receiving blowback for asking whether only transgender actors could play transgender characters, Guy Pearce has issued an apology.

“I posted a tweet yesterday that I shouldn’t have, which to prevent upsetting anyone else I have now deleted,” he captioned his Tweet. “A fuller apology and explanation of the point I was raising is attached.”

The attached letter detailed many aspects of his initial tweet.

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“I see that raising the question of gender identity within the casting process on a platform like Twitter was not a good idea,” it begins. “For that, I apologize, enormously. I acknowledge it has only stirred up and inflamed attitudes and made us all dig our heels in.”

Pearce acknowledged that the subject is “complex and sensitive.”

“I want to take this opportunity to say it is very clear to me that in many areas of life discrimination, which should have no place in a modern society unfortunately still thrives,” Pearce continued. “Indeed members of my own family have been subjected to different but every bit as pernicious prejudice.”

“Our industry is already a cesspool of politics, bums on seats funding, nepotism, and favoritism,” his letter continued. “It’s clear a great many minority communities are underrepresented onscreen and that so too are actors from those communities. But I don’t believe artists should have to announce their personal identity, sexual preference, political stance, disability, religious beliefs, etc. to attain work.”

Pearce’s career kicked off with the role of a drag queen in the 1994 film “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”

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“A question – if the only people allowed to play trans characters r trans folk, then r we also suggesting the only people trans folk can play r trans characters?” he wrote in the since-deleted tweet. “Surely that will limit ur career as an actor? Isn’t the point of an actor to be able play anyone outside ur own world?”

The “Mare of Eastown added more thoughts to the tweet thread before deleting it.

“I raised the question because for 30 years now I’ve had many people ask me since doing ‘Priscilla,’ ‘Don’t you think gay people should’ve played those roles?’ and now similar discussions are occurring about trans actors and trans roles. It has led me to reflect even more about acting as an art form and its place in the world.”

Read Pearce’s full apology in the tweet below.

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