Halle Berry thought winning her historic Oscar almost 20 years ago would lead to movie roles dropping in her lap – but she was in for a sobering shock.
The 56-year-old became the first Black woman to win best actress at the Academy Awards in 2002 for her performance in Monster’s Ball, and famously delivered a powerful and emotional speech.
It appeared to be a landmark moment for women of colour in Hollywood, who are one of the most marginalised groups in the film industry. However, Halle has admitted she was stunned to find that having an Oscar actually did little to bolster her options when it came to scripts.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the actress said: ‘It was surprising. Because I thought they were going to just back up the truck and drop them off at my house, right?
‘When you have a historic win like that, you think, “Oh, this is going to fundamentally change”. It did fundamentally change me, but it didn’t change my place in the business overnight.’
She added: ‘I still had to go back to work. I still had to try to fight to make a way out of no way.’
The John Wick actress also confessed that she hasn’t loved every movie she’s worked on but sees it as a job to get on with to provide for her kids. She is mother to daughter Nahla, 13, from her relationship with model Gabriel Aubry, and son Maceo, seven, who she shares with ex-husband Olivier Martinez.
‘It’s like, okay, that’s a film I can’t say I’m totally in love with, but this isn’t a hobby,’ she explained.
‘It’s how I take care of my children. But I try to keep that sense of wonder and stay curious. Because being a Black woman, I haven’t always had parts that I absolutely love.’
Halle is set to launch an exciting new chapter of her career, having directed and starred in her first film, Netflix’s Bruised, about an MMA fighter seeking redemption.
Bruised is set to hit Netflix on November 24.
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