Halle Berry recently backed out of playing a transgender man in an upcoming film following some backlash over comments that she made. The actress took to social media on Monday (July 6) to announce that she would no longer be taking 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,” Berry said in a statement that was shared to Twitter and her Instagram story.
“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.”
“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,” Berry continued.
“I vow to be an ally in using my voice to promote better representation on-screen, both in front of and behind the camera.”
LGBTQ organization GLAAD took to Twitter to express that it’s happy about Halle Berry’s decision.
“We are pleased that [Halle Berry] listened to the concerns of transgender people and learned from them. Other powerful people should do the same,” the organization tweeted on Monday.
“A good place to start is by watching [ the Disclosure documentary]to learn about trans representation in media.”
The documentary film examines how transgender people have been depicted in media over time, and is produced by actress Laverne Cox of Orange Is The New Black.
The official Twitter account of the film asked Berry to view the documentary “first to understand how cis actors like yourself acting in trans roles has major cultural consequences offscreen.”
Following Berry’s announcement Monday, the account wrote, “We hope #DisclosureNetflix is one of many educational tools you and others can rely to inspire and strengthen allyship.”