Halle Berry pulls out of transgender movie role after backlash

Halle Berry has pulled out of a new movie role, in which she was set to play a transgender man.

The Oscar-winner had announced to fans on social media over the weekend that she was to take a 'deep dive' into what she described as 'that world'.

However, she has now revealed that she will no longer be considering the unspecified part, and has apologised to the transgender community for her insensitivity.

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The star of movies like Die Another Day and the X-Men movies, who won an Oscar for her role in Monster's Ball, added that she vows 'to be an ally' in the future.

“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,” she wrote on a post to Instagram.

“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.”

Scarlett Johansson beat a similar retreat in 2018, after it emerged she was circling the lead in the drama Rub & Tug.

She was set to play crime kingpin Dante 'Tex' Gill, born as a women but identifying as a man, and who ran massage parlours as a front for prostitution across Pittsburgh during the 70s and 80s.

However, the casting was heavily criticised by the transgender community at the time.

In a statement, Johansson said: “In light of recent ethical questions raised surrounding my casting as Dante Tex Gill, I have decided to respectfully withdraw my participation in the project.

“Our cultural understanding of transgender people continues to advance, and I’ve learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realise it was insensitive.”