Hollywood star Guy Pearce was forced to delete his post and defend “the definition of acting” after he posted a question about transgender actors.
The 55-year-old actor — best known for his work on movies like “L.A. Confidential” and “Memento” — tweeted to his tens of thousands of followers a question that read, “if the only people allowed to play trans characters are trans folk, then are we also suggesting the only people trans folk can play are trans characters?”
“Surely that will limit your career as an actor,” Pearce added. “Isn’t the point of an actor to be able play anyone outside your own world?”
He was then met with criticism for simply asking the question and responded in a second post that he was only “raising the question of gender identity within the casting process,” while noting doing so on a platform like Twitter was not the best idea and for that he apologized.
I posted a tweet yesterday that I shouldn’t have, which to prevent upsetting anyone else I have now deleted. A fuller apology and explanation of the point I was raising is attached xx Guy pic.twitter.com/bu1vLQcPFm
— Guy Pearce (@TheGuyPearce) March 28, 2023
In the lengthy statement, the “Iron Man 3” star wrote that the subject is one that needs to be discussed as he broke things down further. He explained, at one point, he doesn’t “believe artists should have to announce their personal identity, sexual preference, political stance, disability, religious beliefs, etc to attain work.”
In 1994, Pearce appeared in a movie about Drag Queens called “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” He shared in his statement that over the last 30 years he’s been asked numerous times whether he thought gay people should’ve played the roles instead.
He said that to “suggest ‘acting’ can only come from our own lived experience annihilates our imagination. I wouldn’t want that restriction placed on a minority actor or any actor for that matter, myself included.”
“What I will say though, if I am going to play miles outside myself, it better be good,” Pearce wrote. “And on that metric I have always been willing to be judged, as I would hope the actor with lived experience is.”
He concluded his statement by explaining he does believe the “artistic community must discuss and develop this within itself. Yes, even if that involves a little shouting.”
