Halle Berry won't play transgender role, apologises for considering it after backlash

KATHMANDU: Oscar-winning Hollywood star Halle Berry has pulled out from playing a transgender role in a film and apologised for conisdering the role following a backlash on social media.

According to PTI, Berry had spoken about the role in an Instagram Live interview. "(The film is about) a character where the woman is a trans character, so she's a woman that transitioned into a man," Berry, 53 was quoted as saying in the interview with hairstylist Christin Brown, according to PTI. "She's a character in a project I love that I might be doing," she had said.

But the announcement was followed by social media backlash with many people highlighting the issue of cisgender actors playing transgender roles in Hollywood. As such Berry apologised on July 6 night and tweeted that she was no longer considering the role.

She tweeted: "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. 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 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."

LGBT+ advocacy groups said they welcomed Berry's apology and encouraged others to follow her lead, as per Reuters.

"We are pleased that (Halle Berry) listened to the concerns of transgender people and learned from them," said US campaigning group GLAAD on Twitter on July 7. "Other powerful people should do the same."

According to Reuters, transgender rights have been weakened under US Republican President Donald Trump, whose administration has banned trans people from enlisting in the military and rescinded discrimination protections in health care services. The tempest began when Berry posted that she was considering a role that was "a woman that transitioned into a man ... a character in a project I love".

Here's Berry's tweet: https://bit.ly/2ZSLEX4