Oscar-winner Halle Berry has apologized and announced that she is pulling out of a planned role as a transgender man after online criticism of her involvement and her misgendering of the character in an interview.
In an Instagram live interview on Friday, the actor said she had been preparing for the role, but had not been officially cast.
“[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,” Berry had said. She added that she wanted to take a “deep dive” into “that world,” likely referring to the trans community.
However, Berry faced backlash online after misgendering the character multiple times during the interview.
“Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project,” she said.
Halle Berry has now tweeted a statement apologizing for her remarks, and stating that she would no longer be considering the role.
“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 posted on 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.”
Activist groups have responded to Berry’s apology with a number of organizations addressing her on Twitter to thank her for listening and learning.
GLAAD, the media monitoring organization founded by LGBTQ+ people in the media, responded to Berry on Twitter.
“We are pleased that @halleberry listened to the concerns of transgender people and learned from them,” it said on Twitter. “Other powerful people should do the same.”
