Halle Berry apologizes for comments about playing a transgender man, drops out of project
Halle Berry won't be playing a transgender character in a new movie after all.
The actress has announced she's not considering the role of a transgender man anymore after drawing backlash for comments she made about doing so.
"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," Berry tweeted. "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."
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Berry particularly drew criticism after on Instagram Live describing the transgender man character using "she" and saying the film would be a "female story" exploring "who this woman was."
"It changes to a man, but I want to understand the why and how of that," she said, per Business Insider. "I want to get into it."
These comments were highlighted in a viral tweet from journalist and transgender activist Serena Daniari, who pushed back by writing, "It absolutely is NOT a female story, it is a story about a man." Berry in her statement said she'd "like to apologize for those remarks" she made while discussing her consideration of the role.
GLAAD in a statement approved of Berry's decision to drop the role, per CNN, saying that "other powerful people should do the same."
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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