Learning from mistakes in PEOPLE
Halle Berry Apologizes for Remarks After Considering Portraying a Transgender Man
"As a cisgender woman, I now understand that I should not have considered this role," Halle Berry wrote in a statement, shared on Twitter
By Tim McGovern, People
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is apologizing for remarks she made after revealing she was considering portraying a transgender man in an upcoming film 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," she said, addressing the remarks she made during an Instagram Live interview with hairstylist Christin Brown on Friday.
In addition to apologizing, the John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum actress said she was no longer 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," Berry, 53, added.
"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. I vow to be an ally in using my voice to promote better representation on-screen, both in front of and behind the camera," she finished her statement.
Halle Berry AMY SUSSMAN?GETTY
In response to her apology, trans actor Scott Turner Schofield, tells PEOPLE, "I’m grateful to Ms. Berry for listening deeply and responding so quickly and graciously."
"In the past, this issue has been dragged out, putting the real needs of the trans community up for painful public debate," adds the Emmy-nominated Studio City actor. "Having a lapse of awareness is human; reacting by listening and doing what is sincerely asked—even if it costs you something—is exactly the kind of solidarity everyone needs right now. I appreciate her very much for being such a classy example."
“[It’s] a character where the woman is a trans character, so she’s a woman that transitioned into a man,” Berry previously said during Friday's interview, which drew criticism on social media. “She’s a character in a project I love that I might be doing.”
“I want to experience that world, understand that world. I want to deep dive in that in the way I did Bruised,” Berry continued. “Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project, and that will require me cutting all of my hair off.”
“That’s what I want to experience and understand and study and explore,” Berry said, before claiming that the story revolving around the transgender male character was a "female story."
“It’s really important to me to tell stories, and that’s a woman, that’s a female story," she said. "It changes to a man, but I want to understand the why and how of that. I want to get into it.”