Halle Berry Dropped Out of the Running For a Role as a Transgender Man Following Backlash
Halle Berry is no longer considering a role as a transgender man, following criticism that she would be taking opportunities away from transgender actors.
In an interview with Christin Brown on Instagram on Friday, Berry discussed a role she was planning to take on in an un-named film, telling Brown, "[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 … Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project."
In addition to backlash over Berry, a cisgender actor, potentially taking a part that trans actors who have fewer opportunities in Hollywood could play, she was also criticized for misgendering the character and referring to him as a woman.
On Monday evening, Berry apologized, stating she would no longer be considering the role.
"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," she wrote. "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 continued: "I am grateful for the guidance and critical conversation over the past few days and I will continue to listen, educate and learn from this mistake," and added that she vowed to be an ally moving forward.
— Halle Berry (@halleberry) July 7, 2020
In response, many advocates and transgender actors thanked Berry for listening and learning.
.@halleberry Thank you for hearing us and for taking the time to listen and understand our concerns. Furthermore, I appreciate your vow to take action and use your platform to promote better representation and opportunities for marginalized artists on both sides of the lens. 🖤✊🏾 https://t.co/gistCQV0xG
— Brian Michael Smith (@TheBrianMichael) July 7, 2020
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 to trans people and for this response. It’s vital that trans people have the opportunity to tell their own stories.
For anyone questioning why trans media representation is so important, watch @Disclosure_Doc
💙💖🤍💖💙 https://t.co/RRwrL2jY2G— LGBT Foundation (@LGBTfdn) July 7, 2020
This is a welcome statement from @halleberry so thank you for listening. The most important thing now is that the film is still made with a trans male casting! There are some great trans male actors out there including my amazing husband @JakeGraf1!! Xx https://t.co/uG18KrOJ8J
— Hannah Graf MBE (@hannahw253) July 7, 2020
The Twitter account for the Netflix documentary Disclosure, which delves into depictions of trans people onscreen, had asked Berry to "understand how cis actors like yourself acting in trans roles has major cultural consequences offscreen," and subsequently thanked her for her response.
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