Halle Berry has apologised after saying she would be interested in playing a transgender man in an upcoming film.
The Hollywood actress has now said she should not have been considered for the part and has pledged to be an “ally” to the transgender community.
Berry, 53, previously said in an Instagram Live she had been preparing for the role and wanted to “deep dive” into “that world”.
“I’m thinking of [playing] a character where the woman is a trans character, so she’s a woman that transitioned into a man,” she said.
“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,” she added, referring to her upcoming sports film.
“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.”
She was accused of misgendering the character by repeatedly referring to them as a woman, and many said the role should go to a trans actor.
In a later tweet, she wrote: “Over the weekend I had the opportunity to discuss my consideration of an upcoming role as a transgender man and I’d like to apologise for those remarks.
“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.
“I vow to be an ally in using my voice to promote better representation on-screen, both in front of and behind the camera.”
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LGBT advocacy group GLAAD welcomed Berry’s apology, saying: “We are pleased that @halleberry listened to the concerns of transgender people and learned from them. Other powerful people should do the same.”
Netflix documentary Disclosure, which explores trans representation in TV and film, also thanked the actress for “listening and learning”.
Major transgender roles have largely gone to cisgender actors – people who identify as the sex they were assigned at birth.
In 2018, Avengers star Scarlett Johansson dropped out of the film Rub And Tug after she faced a backlash for being cast as a transgender man.
Jared Leto, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Huffman have all played transgender characters.
