In 2002, Halle Berry made Academy Award history by becoming the first and only woman of color to win Best Actress. She took home the now-legendary Oscar for her role as Leticia Musgrove in Monster’s Ball, but apparently, her win didn’t result in the massive increase in major movie opportunities that she thought it would have.
According to Complex, Halle Berry recently did an interview with Entertainment Weekly, and she discussed the duality between taking on a role in a critically acclaimed and award-winning film like Moster’s Ball and a universally disparaged movie like Catwoman.
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According to Halle Berry, her role in Monster’s Ball may have made history, but it didn’t lead to more opportunities to showcase her true acting talents, calling the lukewarm treatment that she subsequently received in Hollywood “surprising.”
“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,'” Halle Berry admitted. “It did fundamentally change me, but it didn’t change my place in the business overnight. I still had to go back to work. I still had to try to fight to make a way out of no way.”
Having struggled to land any roles that would result in both a good payday and good critical reception, the Bruised director eventually landed the lead role in Catwoman, and although her work on that film lives in infamy, she still appreciates the opportunity and notes that it was a great financial move.
“For me, it was one of the biggest paydays of my whole life, which, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Halle Berry explained. “I don’t want to feel like ‘Oh, I can only do award-worthy stuff.’ What is an award-worthy performance?”
Given the cultural significance of both films, are you surprised to learn that Halle Berry struggled to land lead roles after winning an Oscar for Monster’s Ball?
[via]