Halle Berry Drops Transgender Role in Response to Criticism: ‘I Vow to Be an Ally’
“The transgender community should undeniably have the opportunity to tell their own stories,” actress said in a statement
Jeremy Fuster | July 6, 2020 @ 7:16 PM
Last Updated: July 6, 2020 @ 7:18 PM
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In a statement posted to Twitter on Monday evening, Halle Berry said she is backing out of plans to play a transgender man in an upcoming film after criticism from LGBT groups.
“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 said.
On Friday, Berry spoke about preparing for the role in an Instagram Live interview, though she noted she had yet to be officially cast. She described the role as “a character where the woman is a trans character, so she’s a woman that transitioned into a man.”
“Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project,” she said.
The interview sparked a backlash from the trans community, who criticized Berry for misgendering the character in the interview and for contributing to a trend in Hollywood of trans actors being left out of casting for trans roles in favor of better recognized cis actors. Earlier Monday, the makers of the Netflix documentary “Disclosure,” which explores the impact of Hollywood and media on how people view trans individuals, encouraged Berry to watch their film “to understand how cis actors like yourself acting in trans roles has major cultural consequences offscreen.”
After her statement was released, the “Disclosure” team thanked Berry for “listening and learning.”
“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,” Berry wrote in her apology. “I vow to be an ally in using my voice to promote better representation on-screen, both in front of and behind the camera.”
9 Cisgender Actors Playing Transgender Characters in Film (Photos)
Hilary Swank in "Boys Don't Cry" (1999) Swank plays real-life Brandon Teena, an American trans man who is beaten, raped and murdered by men after they discover he is transgender.
Fox Searchlight
Felicity Huffman in "Transamerica" (2005) Huffman played a transgender woman who tried to reconnect with her estranged son, played by Kevin Zegers.
The Weinstein Company
Jared Leto in "Dallas Buyers Club" (2013) Leto starred as an HIV positive, transgender woman in the film for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2014.
Focus Features
Chris Sarandon in "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975) Sarandon played a pre-operative transsexual in the film, for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Warner Bros.
Tom Wilkinson in "Normal" (2003) Wilkinson stars as Applewood, who after 25 years of marriage shocks his wife (Jessica Lange) when he tells her he wants to transition into a woman. He renames himself Ruth.
John Cameron Mitchell in "Hedwig & The Angry Inch" (2001) Mitchell played Hansel Schmidt, an East German man who falls in love with an American man and they decide to marry so he can escape East Germany. However, the couple needs to consist of a man and a woman, so Schmidt undergoes gender reassignment surgery, but it gets botched.
New Line Cinema
John Lithgow in "The World According to Garp" (1982) Lithgow played Roberta Muldoon, a former football player who transitions after being pro.
Warner Bros.
Jaye Davidson in "The Crying Game" (1992) The now retired actor played trans woman Dil in the film, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Miramax Films
Lee Pace in "Soldier's Girl" (2003) Pace starred as Calpernia Addams in the film, based on a true story. Addams came out as a transgender woman during her last year in the military.
Showtime
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In light of Eddie Redmayne playing Lili Elbe, the first transgender woman to successful receive sex reassignment surgery, in “The Danish Girl,” TheWrap takes a look at 9 other actors who have taken on transgender roles