American actress, Oscar winner Holly Berry will not pretend to be a transgender in the upcoming project. The artist abandoned her intention after harsh criticism from the Internet community.
On Friday, July 3, Berry took part in an interview as part of a live broadcast on the Instagram platform. During the broadcast, she told what role she was preparing for.
“This is a female trans character, that is, a woman who has become a man. This is a character from a project I liked, in which I may take part, ”Berry Variety quotes. The actress emphasized that she wants to "plunge" into the life of the community. She did not announce the name of the project.
“I was very interested in the personality of this woman, and this project may be my next,” said the artist.
As it turned out later, this statement was reckless: speaking of a transgender character, the actress chose the “wrong” words. So, Insider explains that a transgender man should say “he,” while Berry used feminine pronouns.
This was noticed in the official Twitter account of the Netfix documentary project called Disclosure.
“Hi, Holly Berry. Heard you are considering playing a trans man in your next project. We have a convincing request: first watch the Disclosure documentary on Netflix and understand how significant the cultural consequences of transgender roles are for cisgender actors, which you belong to, on this side of the screen. ”
Berry was recommended by other users of the social network to pay attention to this circumstance.
“We have been talking about this for too long ... but it continues. Transgender people do not want and do not need cisgenders to depict them in films and television projects. This we have already passed, ”noted on Twitter.
“Holly Berry on the role of a trans man in his next film:“ It is very important for me to tell stories, and here is a woman, this is a woman’s story about becoming a man, but I want to understand why and how this happens. I want to dive into it. ” The cisgender actors need to be tied up with this, ”said another user of the social network.
After reading such comments, Berry decided to abandon the role. She posted a statement on Twitter.
“I, the cisgender woman, now understand that I should not have considered this role and that representatives of the transgender community should undoubtedly have the opportunity to tell stories about themselves,” the actress wrote.
pic.twitter.com/qpE8Tw1Xmu
- Halle Berry (@halleberry) July 7, 2020She promised "to continue to listen and learn from this mistake" and even thanked the public for criticism.
“I swear to act as an ally, seeking with my voice to expand the representation (of minorities, including transgender people . - RT ) in what appears on the screen and in the work that is being carried out both on-screen and off-screen,” Berry noted in light of her Toronto’s recent directorial debut at the TIFF Festival.
Some commentators thanked the actress for "giving transgender people the opportunity to get this role," and some drew attention to the fact that Berry still managed to offend them.
“The incorrect designation of the trans man’s gender and the assertion that we are talking about the trans man in“ women's history ”almost cost a huge damage to your career. In addition, the feelings of trans-men suffered from this, as my feelings of trans-women suffered, ”the actress warned in social networks.
However, not everyone considers such a gesture by Holly Berry necessary. Some bloggers write that she should not have apologized.
“Actors can play different roles and images. This is the whole point of acting. The same goes for transgender people playing different roles. Why do you apologize for considering this option? Why is the opinion of the political correctness police considered correct? ”, One of the authors noted.
In recent days, Berry, according to users of social networks, made another mistake. In her Instagram, the artist congratulated the audience on US Independence Day. Some subscribers noted that on this day, not the entire population gained independence (referring to black slaves). Instead of congratulating the audience, the actress was asked to pay attention to the Black Lives Matter movement.
By the way, Holly Berry supports the George Floyd family. On her father's day, she posted a quote to his daughter Gianna, and also offered to make a donation to the girl’s fund, buying themed clothes.
- Gettyimages.ru
- © Steve Granitz
Interestingly, in 2002, Holly Berry became the first African American in history to receive an Oscar for best actress (major, not secondary).
The story of Berry's failed project largely repeats the current racial issue in American cinema. So, in the animated series "Central Park", "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons", in the filming of which 20th Century Fox Television is involved, the cast has changed.
From now on, dark-skinned characters, as well as mulattos, can only be voiced by actors of corresponding origin. For white artists, such roles are no longer available.