Halle Berry has been forced to abandon a role of a male transgender character following an Instagram interview which provoked criticism of the actor’s attitude towards the transgender community. Berry posted on social media of her decision to drop the role after a huge backlash online after the interview in which she discussed the role.

“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.”

Discussing the role in an unnamed upcoming movie, Berry said: “[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 … Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project.”

However, Berry’s reference to the character as a “woman” and “she” sparked considerable backlash on social media, sparking accusations of misgendering. Berry’s decision to drop out was welcomed by leading LGBTQ activist group Glaad, which tweeted: “We are pleased that @halleberry listened to the concerns of transgender people and learned from them. Other powerful people should do the same.”

Another Hollywood actress, Scarlett Johansson had in 2018 quit a biopic of massage parlour operator Dante “Tex” Gill in ‘Rub & Tug’ following similar protests from trans activists.