Aussie actor Guy Pearce (Memento, Neighbours, LA Confidential) committed the cardinal sin of making a reasonable point regarding the idea that actors can only play parts that correlate with their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation and age.

Pearce referred specifically to transgender actors in transgender roles when he Tweeted (and swiftly deleted) the following:

A question — 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? Isn’t the point of an actor to be able (to) play anyone outside your own world?

Seems like a fair question. After all, acting should be all about playing a character that isn’t you. However, Pearce’s big mistake was that he used transgender actors as an example; a big no-no on social media! So he then deleted the Tweet and replaced it with this groveling apology:

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

You can click on the Tweet to read the full apology if you want, but this is the part that really stood out:

“I understand how my question – asking ‘If trans actors are the only ones allowed to play trans roles then are we also suggesting trans actors are therefore only allowed to play trans characters?’ is insensitive.

The point I wanted to raise was one about defending the definition of acting and nothing more. Throwing the subject onto one minority group in particular was unnecessary, especially from a man like me, with a ‘Full House’ of privilege.”

A ‘full house of privilege’? Cringe central. Can just imagine Guy’s agent frantically calling him after the initial Tweet and helping him draft this whole thing. Which I guess is fair enough given his job is to ensure Guy Pearce is able to keep working and getting movie roles, and pxssing off the Twitter mafia is no way to do that.

In fairness to Guy though, he did make the same point in his apology Tweet, so I’m not going to say he’s completely spineless. Only this time he made sure not to use any examples at all because I guess he realised it’s just not worth the risk:

“It’s clear a great many minority communities are underrepresented on screen and that so too are actors from those communities. But I don’t believe artists should have to announce their personal identity, sexual preference, political stance, disability, religious beliefs etc to attain work.”

Seems reasonable to me…

For the 007 producer’s claim that a future James Bond could be ‘non-binary’, click HERE.