Halle Berry pulling out of a transgender role in an upcoming movie,left me baffled.She pulled out of the role after the backlash she received online,as she revealed her plans for the movie.
In an Instagram live interview on Friday, the actress said she had not been officially cast for the role but she had been preparing for it.
Now ,what i don't understand is the transgender community being upset and saying only a
transgender should play the role.My big question is why?She is an actor,she should be able to play anybody.What they should be concerned about is how well she plays the role and how much she takes it seriously.Shouldn't that be the case?
Must i be an ex convict before i can play the role of a robber ,a killer or anything as such?Can you imagine a thief coming out and say Brad Pitt cannot play the part of a robber,cos he is not a real one or has never committed a robbery?
For me personally,it doesn't really bother me if a person is a transgender,its the person behind the mask that counts.I think most people now,or at the very least 50% of the average person,has come to realise that it doesn't matter.Now,if people are to draw to transgenders or anyone who is in a similar situation,the first thing i think should be done,is letting everyone see that there is no difference between you and i.
Because once you start asking for special treatment,then you are telling the world,i am not like you,i am not normal.And if that is the case,people will start treating you differently.For me i think its a total wrong call forcing Halle Berry to give up this role.It doesn't necessarily need to be played by a transgender.If an actor is around who happens to be a great one,and by the way is a transgender,then fair and well,let them have the part.
Now back to Berry,she reportedly faced backlash online after misgendering the character multiple times during the interview.(Not a good thing,but it wasn't intentional and she is learning)
“[It’s] a character where the woman is a trans character, so she’s a woman that transitioned into a man. She’s a character in a project I love that I might be doing,” Berry had said. She added that she wanted to take a “deep dive” into “that world,” likely referring to the trans community.
Others said members of the transgender community should be allowed to play transgender roles.
On Monday night, she issued an apology and pulled out of the role, saying “the transgender community should undeniably have the opportunity to tell their own stories.”
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 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.”
Halle Berry’s initial comment caught the attention of the Twitter account for the Netflix documentary “Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen". The documentary examines Hollywood’s portrayal of transgender people and their stories.
The documentary's account asked Halle Berry to watch the film to “understand how cis actors like yourself acting in trans roles has major cultural consequences offscreen.”
After Berry’s apology, the account thanked her for “listening and learning.”
The LGBTQ rights organization GLAAD also responded, saying “We are pleased that Halle Berry listened to the concerns of transgender people and learned from them. Other powerful people should do the same. A good place to start is by watching ‘Disclosure’ to learn about trans representation in media.”
