Halle Berry Steps Away From Transgender Role After Facing Criticism: ‘I Vow to Be an Ally’
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Actor Halle Berry stepped away from an opportunity to play a transgender character in an upcoming film after facing backlash on social media — apologizing for considering the role to begin with.
Berry said she had been preparing for the role during an Instagram Live interview with hairstylist Christin Brown on Friday, adding, “I want to experience that world, I want to understand that world.”
Explaining that the role involved a “character where the woman is a trans character, so she’s a woman that transitioned into a man,” Berry misgendered the character several times. “She’s a character in a project I love, that I might be doing.”
Berry faced criticism for using the character’s incorrect pronouns, while many also highlighted the ongoing problem of Hollywood’s lack of diversity and representation.
The Oscar-winning actor caught the attention of those who worked on the Netflix documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen. The film’s Twitter account asked that Berry watch the documentary before committing to playing the character.
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
On Monday night, Berry apologized and promised that she was no longer considering the role, adding that she now understands the “transgender community should undeniably have the opportunity to tell their own stories.”
“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 in a statement posted to Twitter.
“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
After she apologized, the Disclosure account thanked her for “listening and learning,” while GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ rights and media monitoring organization, responded, writing, “We are pleased that Halle Berry 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 to learn about trans representation in media.”
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
New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!
Comments
↓ Scroll down for comments ↓