With an Oscar in the bag, it is hard to imagine Halle Berry would have to fight too hard for acting roles.
But the Hollywood A-lister says she has to audition for parts like every other actor.
"I have to fight for almost every job I ever get ... the ones that I really want to do," said Berry in Cannes, promoting her latest film, X-Men: The Last Stand.
"I am not complaining but there is a little thing called racism that this movie X-Men speaks about that, honestly, people like me still suffer from on some level.
Berry explained that if she were to audition for the role of a middle-class, middle-aged mother, producers may assume her husband would also have to be African American.
Her children would also have to be black, which she said some producers would fear may change the dynamics of the story.
"I am not implying that Hollywood is racist, but racism is so subtle that people sometimes won't even realise," she said.
"I still face that; I still struggle with that in Hollywood today."
Berry was in the French Riviera this week for the Cannes International Film Festival, with the third X-Men instalment screening out of competition.
Her character, Storm, again joins forces with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), and Rogue (Anna Paquin).
The film, based on the classic Marvel comic series, sees the super-heroes going up against the government and bad-guy Magneto (Ian McKellen) over the introduction of a "cure" for those with special powers, or mutants as they are referred to in the movie.
"As a woman first, and of colour, too, I have been discriminated against for both; I feel very attached to this material," said Berry.
"What would happen if our government in America tried to impose an antidote to change black people to white? That would be horrible, and I would be afraid of what that would mean for all mankind.
Berry said she felt extremely passionate about the films message.
"I struggled to fit in my whole life, to find acceptance, and it was only as I got into my late 30s that I finally started to realise, who cares?
"I don't have to try to be accepted. I have to try to get people to have more tolerance and accept me as I am. I am not the one that needs to change."
The X-Men comics have an extremely strong fan base around the world.
While critics at Cannes this year have given the movie lukewarm reviews, Berry says the fans were the harshest of critics and, ultimately, the most important.
Signing on for the third film, Berry said it was important that her character explored more of her powers and participate in more of the action.
"I took such a beating from the fans after the second movie," she said.
"Comic-book fans are really brutal and they were really unhappy with the way Storm did not evolve in the second movie.
"They wrote me letters, they blew up my website. I was devastated, so much so that I really contemplated whether I would go back or not."
Storm can manipulate the weather, she's hyper-kinetic and, in the latest instalment, she is able to fly.
"This time, I felt like Storm was part of the movie in an integral way and she used all of her powers, every single one that she had," she said.
"As an actor, it was really rewarding. And to reprise a character, it's nice to have some kind of evolution."
Berry began her entertainment career after coming first runner-up in the Miss USA Pageant in 1986, scoring a number of modelling jobs.
She made her big screen debut with Spike Lee's Jungle Fever in 1991.
Since then, she has starred in many films, including Losing Isaiah, The Last Boy Scout, Die Another Day, Swordfish and Robots.
Berry won an Academy Award in 2002 for the Marc Forster-directed Monster's Ball and is one of Hollywood's top women earners.
The actor is currently filming Perfect Stranger with Bruce Willis and is slated to star with Benicio Del Toro in Danish director Susanne Bier's Things We Lost in the Fire.
Despite her successes, Berry has had her share of flops.
Action flick Catwoman earned her a Razzie Award in 2004, a spoof of the Oscars that trashes Hollywoods worst.
"Let it be said, I had a wonderful experience on Catwoman," she said.
"As an actor, hopefully your career is long and sometimes you birth babies, as every film feels like, when you present it to the world, and some perform well and some don't."
"It is great to just mix it up for me and do all different kinds of genres and play different characters."
Berry turns 40 in August, a milestone she admits to feeling slightly nervous about, although a grey wig in X-Men helped her get used to ageing.
"At first it was daunting (having grey hair)," she said.
"I am still in my 30s - barely - and you don't want to have grey hair in your 30s.
"But I got used to it and it made me feel more like a mutant, like I fitted in more, and I really liked it. I am not so afraid of ageing now because of it."
In fact, Berry says she's never felt better in her life.
"I have never been in better physical shape and emotional shape, and I am really happy in my personal life - what a novel idea."
Berry, who has been married twice, is also enjoying new love, dating 30-year-old French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry.
"I do have someone in my life who is apparently putting a sparkle in my eye and he is 10 years younger," she said, not wanting to give too much away.
"I am not the girl who has had the best relationships so I am a little not wanting to really talk about it - my history will tell you why."
i am really proud of halle-- she said she is feeling more comfortable w/ who she is FINALLY and that there is nothing wrong w/ her. and i really like what she said about if she played a housewife her husband and kids would automatically be cast as black. true true true true. and i think that shows her growth as a person for her to even make mention of that.
i look forward to seeing her new movies when they come out.
It has been asked:
It seems like you don't identify with the white side of your heritage...why is that?
I do identify with my white heritage. I was raised by my white mother and every day of my life I have always been aware of the fact that I am bi-racial. However, growing up I was aware that even though my mother was white, I did not look or FEEL very white myself. When I went to school the other kids always assumed that I was totally black. Many times my classmates did not believe me when I said my mother was white. I soon grew tired of trying to prove that I was half black and half white and learned not to concern myself with what others thought. I began to relate to the other "all black kids" at my school more because quite simply...I looked more like them. I was certainly too dark to run around trying to say I was white (smile).
After having many talks with my mother about the issue, she reinforced what she had always taught me. She said that even though you are half black and half white, you will be discriminated against in this country as a black person. People will not know when they see you that you have a white mother unless you wear a sign on your forehead. And, even if they did, so many people believe that if you have an ounce of black blood in you then you are black. So, therefore, I decided to let folks categorize me however they needed to. I realized that my sense of self and my sense of worth was not determined by the color of my skin or what ethnic group I chose to be a part of. I decided to go about my life normally, be the individual I was and let the issue of my race be the issue of those who had a problem with it.
As I grew I began to feel a very natural connection to the black community. Although I was half white, I began to see that I was being discriminated against the same way my "ALL" black friends were...just as my mother once said. So, the fact that my mother was white, and her blood ran through my veins, made no difference in the face of the ignorance of racism.
So, the question should not be why does it seem like I don't identify with my white heritage, but the question should be, why should it matter what color anyone is or what heritage they identify with? If people would just learn to look at everyone equally and stop trying to label one another the issue of what we are all made of would be null and void. If the truth be told, we are all made of the same thing...flesh, blood and bones! We should all be able to relate and identify with each other. We are all members of the same race, the HUMAN RACE!
Finally, I believe we should all see one another as equal. However, I have evolved into a realist. I have learned to live with the fact that when one looks at me they usually view me as only black. I am not bitter, as I love both the black and white side of myself. In fact, I have realized that by being viewed as only BLACK I am in a wonderful position. I can continue to blaze a trail for black women in film and television and help open the minds of those who have been victims of the racist teachings of the past. If through my life I can help obliterate the negative images of black people and help to abolish the negative stereo types associated with black people...then when I die I will know my life had real purpose.
I really admire Halle Berry. I'm rooting for her and hopes that she starts producing her own projects rather than waiting for Hollywood to give her her due. If Jennifer Lopez can carve out a space for herself in non-racialized movies then so can Halle. Nobody raised an eyebrow at the unlikely premise of Maid in Manhattan, and it made lots of money.
She gets criticism from all racialist sides and I am happy that she is being who she is without regard to someone's political agenda. I bet those White kids who tortured her back in Ohio are falling all over themselves to say they knew her back when.
Look, I love Halle and predicted back in '91, in HS, that she would be a MAJOR star. This is exactly what happened. She has earned her fame and fortune. Which is why I personally get tired of hearing her focus on the negative of being mixed. What about the beauty, joy, and wonder of our experience(s)? Same thing with Mariah Carey. She whines too much too. Just my opinion. Focus on the positive (especially when they are rollin in $$.) I do love what Halle said about using her art for good though. Good for her; she has the film career that Diana Ross, Diahann Carroll, and Cicely Tyson should have had.
I really admire Halle Berry. I'm rooting for her and hopes that she starts producing her own projects rather than waiting for Hollywood to give her her due. If Jennifer Lopez can carve out a space for herself in non-racialized movies then so can Halle.
But Jennifer's turn out to be flops.
Nobody raised an eyebrow at the unlikely premise of Maid in Manhattan, and it made lots of money.
She gets criticism from all racialist sides and I am happy that she is being who she is without regard to someone's political agenda. I bet those White kids who tortured her back in Ohio are falling all over themselves to say they knew her back when.
Last edited by gemini072 on Thu 20 Jul 2006 17:22; edited 1 time in total
I don't she has falsies; she's too smart for that.
Quote:
If Jennifer Lopez can carve out a space for herself in non-racialized movies then so can Halle.
First, Jennifer Lopez hasn't had a hit movie or album in a long time. Lopez, unlike Berry, can play Italian while Berry can't.
Second, I don't think Berry's roles in James Bond, the X-Men trilogy, or Gothika, for instance, had a racial component. All were genre films that made money and earned her good critical reviews--both criteria that matter in Hollywood.
Third, I don't think Berry focuses about the negatives of being mixed. Because Berry is honest about the struggles in her life should be applauded because she is raising awareness of issues that affect actors of color in Hollywood. That's reality. Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, or mixed actors are not on the speed dial of most Hollywood producers or casting agents. Unless someone with Berry's status speaks out, how will she or others get better roles? After Berry received the Oscar, she received script after script of roles of stereotypic black women. Berry rejected those roles and won the role in Gothika, a commercial horror film.
I don't she has falsies; she's too smart for that.
Quote:
If Jennifer Lopez can carve out a space for herself in non-racialized movies then so can Halle.
First, Jennifer Lopez hasn't had a hit movie or album in a long time. Lopez, unlike Berry, can play Italian while Berry can't.
I finally saw the movie where she was suppose to play an Italian woman...Wedding Planner. I think she could have studied up a bit on that, she just seemed like an upscale Puerto Rican too me.
Second, I don't think Berry's roles in James Bond, the X-Men trilogy, or Gothika, for instance, had a racial component. All were genre films that made money and earned her good critical reviews--both criteria that matter in Hollywood.
Third, I don't think Berry focuses about the negatives of being mixed. Because Berry is honest about the struggles in her life should be applauded because she is raising awareness of issues that affect actors of color in Hollywood. That's reality. Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, or mixed actors are not on the speed dial of most Hollywood producers or casting agents. Unless someone with Berry's status speaks out, how will she or others get better roles? After Berry received the Oscar, she received script after script of roles of stereotypic black women. Berry rejected those roles and won the role in Gothika, a commercial horror film.
I don't she has falsies; she's too smart for that.
Quote:
If Jennifer Lopez can carve out a space for herself in non-racialized movies then so can Halle.
First, Jennifer Lopez hasn't had a hit movie or album in a long time. Lopez, unlike Berry, can play Italian while Berry can't.
Second, I don't think Berry's roles in James Bond, the X-Men trilogy, or Gothika, for instance, had a racial component. All were genre films that made money and earned her good critical reviews--both criteria that matter in Hollywood.
Third, I don't think Berry focuses about the negatives of being mixed. Because Berry is honest about the struggles in her life should be applauded because she is raising awareness of issues that affect actors of color in Hollywood. That's reality. Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, or mixed actors are not on the speed dial of most Hollywood producers or casting agents. Unless someone with Berry's status speaks out, how will she or others get better roles? After Berry received the Oscar, she received script after script of roles of stereotypic black women. Berry rejected those roles and won the role in Gothika, a commercial horror film.
While Halle of course makes different creative choices than Jennifer Lopez, when she has done, for example, a mainstream romantic comedy with a man of any "race" or more dramas in which race is not central to a realistic story, then I will say that she is making some headway. Fantasy and horror movies are "allowed" to be subversive, but Hollywood likes its mainstream romance depicted by White people and sometimes latinos/as, but they are usually playing White people. I believe that Halle will get better roles and break new ground by producing her own films. It's about self-determination.
But things are not totally stagnant. If anyone has seen "Failure to Launch" (spoiler alert if you haven't!!), Matthew McConaughey's dead fiance was a Black woman, apparently a single parent. He maintained a relationship with her son after she died, calling him his "nephew." What I appreciated was that the character was just this woman "Amy" and there was nothing angsty about them being together. It would have been nice to have one of those Hollywood scenes with flashbacks or something, so she could have been depicted, but that wasn't central to the story.
I don't she has falsies; she's too smart for that.
Quote:
If Jennifer Lopez can carve out a space for herself in non-racialized movies then so can Halle.
First, Jennifer Lopez hasn't had a hit movie or album in a long time. Lopez, unlike Berry, can play Italian while Berry can't.
I finally saw the movie where she was suppose to play an Italian woman...Wedding Planner. I think she could have studied up a bit on that, she just seemed like an upscale Puerto Rican too me.
Second, I don't think Berry's roles in James Bond, the X-Men trilogy, or Gothika, for instance, had a racial component. All were genre films that made money and earned her good critical reviews--both criteria that matter in Hollywood.
Third, I don't think Berry focuses about the negatives of being mixed. Because Berry is honest about the struggles in her life should be applauded because she is raising awareness of issues that affect actors of color in Hollywood. That's reality. Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, or mixed actors are not on the speed dial of most Hollywood producers or casting agents. Unless someone with Berry's status speaks out, how will she or others get better roles? After Berry received the Oscar, she received script after script of roles of stereotypic black women. Berry rejected those roles and won the role in Gothika, a commercial horror film.
She also played an Italian in "Out of Sight." She was Dennis Farina's daughter. I haven't read the book so I am not 100% sure.
Really, J-Lo has rarely played a Puerto Rican onscreen. Just in A Maid in Manhattan in my recollection. Every other role has been other latinas (Cuban, Mexican), Native Americans, European Americans or characters with no culture specified.
Being a producer is one thing, raising cash is another all together. Hollywood is a business and genre movies make money. The more money Berry's movies make the more bankable she is to raise funds for a big or small film.
That said, why should Berry starring opposite a man of another race the key to a non-racial movie? Isn't any movie that does discuss race or traffick in stereotypes non-racial? Is a movie that features all whites or all Latinos or all Chinese racial? Woody Allen is infamous for his all-white cast movies set in New York where no person of color can be seen in background.
In fact, Berry has starred opposite white men who served as her romantic leads: James Bond and Swordfish where she was the love interest of Pierce Brosnan and Swordfish as John Travolta's partner. Berry also starred with in Romantic comedies: Strictly Business and another with Eddie Murphy. However, most romantic comedies are cliche crap: "How to Lose a Guy..", "Raising Helen," or "The Break Up," or "My Super-Ex Girfriend."
BTW, Berry will be starring opposite Bruce Willis, David Duchovony, and Benico Del Torro in two of her upcoming films.
As for Maid in Manhattan, that was a HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE movie on so many levels in its sexism and racism: Latina as a poor maid who is rescued from her toil by a rich, white man. Blech! It was just two steps above Pretty Woman (a truly evil and sexist film that fueled more distorted views of sex, love, and Cinderella fantasies. A&E did an expose on European sex trafficking where young women talked about how they became prostitutes because they saw Pretty Women and thought prostitution would be a glamorous way to find a rich husband!).
Being a producer is one thing, raising cash is another all together. Hollywood is a business and genre movies make money. The more money Berry's movies make the more bankable she is to raise funds for a big or small film.
That said, why should Berry starring opposite a man of another race the key to a non-racial movie? Isn't any movie that does discuss race or traffick in stereotypes non-racial? Is a movie that features all whites or all Latinos or all Chinese racial? Woody Allen is infamous for his all-white cast movies set in New York where no person of color can be seen in background.
In fact, Berry has starred opposite white men who served as her romantic leads: James Bond and Swordfish where she was the love interest of Pierce Brosnan and Swordfish as John Travolta's partner. Berry also starred with in Romantic comedies: Strictly Business and another with Eddie Murphy. However, most romantic comedies are cliche crap: "How to Lose a Guy..", "Raising Helen," or "The Break Up," or "My Super-Ex Girfriend."
BTW, Berry will be starring opposite Bruce Willis, David Duchovony, and Benico Del Torro in two of her upcoming films.
As for Maid in Manhattan, that was a HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE movie on so many levels in its sexism and racism: Latina as a poor maid who is rescued from her toil by a rich, white man. Blech! It was just two steps above Pretty Woman (a truly evil and sexist film that fueled more distorted views of sex, love, and Cinderella fantasies. A&E did an expose on European sex trafficking where young women talked about how they became prostitutes because they saw Pretty Women and thought prostitution would be a glamorous way to find a rich husband!).
If this was a response to my post I think something I said was misunderstood:
Quote:
when she has done, for example, a mainstream romantic comedy with a man of any "race" or more dramas in which race is not central to a realistic story, then I will say that she is making some headway
What I mean is that non-White romance is not mainstream, however one regards the genre. Boomerang and Strictly Business are not mainstream romantic comedies, but "Black" romantic comedies no different from Two Can Play That Game or How to Be A Player. Very few films portray non-White romances with the same formulaic schmaltz that audiences love to pay money to see. Hitch comes close, but there was a well-documented dispute about the appearance of Will Smith's love-interest.
So the point for me is not that non-White women, even women who are Black/of African descent, have been on-screen with or consorted with with White men sexually or had real relationships with them, but that the romances portrayed even in these films are not usually the run-of-the-mill, boy-meets-girl, interpersonal dramas that they are when two White people get together.
To get off of Halle's back for a minute, Sanaa Lathan is an up and coming A-/B+ lister, who has starred in Alien vs. Predator (sci-fi), supported prominently in Blade (another sci-fi/fantasy) and recently starred in Something New (a non-mainstream romantic comedy). She has the opportunity to become an A-lister if she keeps choosing good roles, but she has to have cross-over appeal (i.e., White people have to like her) even if her films make money. it's for this reason that even successful Black actors find it more satisfying to produce their own projects.
Also, there are SOME examples of non-racialized romance with Black/of African descent women. Nia Long co-starred with Giovanni Ribisi in "Boiler Room" and with Jude Law in "Alfie." Zoe Saldana will star with Orlando Bloom in a romance coming out this fall (the name escapes me). Angela Bassett played Robert DeNiro's fiance in "The Score" (surpring only to those who didn't know that his personal preference is to date Black women).
Directed and written by Caymanian filmmaker Frank E. Flowers, the movie features a prestigious ensemble cast including Bill Paxton, Orlando Bloom, Zoe Saldana, Victor Rasuk, Joy Bryant, as well as a host of local residents as featured performers and extras.
"What I mean is that non-White romance is not mainstream, however one regards the genre"
--"Mainstream" is a racial code word/phrase used to denote white middle class people. Thus, it supports a white normative standard, which sucks and is racist. The love between two people of color is just as worthy as that of white love. Neither men nor women of color, so-called mono or mixed people, should have their lives and cultures demeaned because no one white is involved.
(I really am saddened by your statement. It just says so much about what is wrong with this country. I think the viewer's of Grey's Anatomy will disagree since the love affair between Korean-Canadian actress Sandra Oh and African American actor Isaiah Washington is a fan favorite. Checkout the links below fans who support their romance!)
Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America" was a romantic comedy that made millions of dollars and played to a diverse audience. Is Murphy any less successful?
People of color should not have to determine their success based on acceptance by whites. Such a rule only serves to put people of color in a continued social, mental, spiritual, and financial subservience. Hollywood is a business. The success of a film is based on profitability, the most profitable movies of the last two years have been Tyler Perry's Madea films. They are made for under $7 million and bring in over $100 million dollars in profits between box office and DVD! Many $100 million dollar plus films like Superman Returns, Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties, and the Posiedon Adverture are huge money losers.
As such, Hollywood is looking to make Madea-like films where the cash is aplenty and the audience is DIVERSE!
I don't she has falsies; she's too smart for that.
Quote:
If Jennifer Lopez can carve out a space for herself in non-racialized movies then so can Halle.
First, Jennifer Lopez hasn't had a hit movie or album in a long time. Lopez, unlike Berry, can play Italian while Berry can't.
I finally saw the movie where she was suppose to play an Italian woman...Wedding Planner. I think she could have studied up a bit on that, she just seemed like an upscale Puerto Rican too me.
Second, I don't think Berry's roles in James Bond, the X-Men trilogy, or Gothika, for instance, had a racial component. All were genre films that made money and earned her good critical reviews--both criteria that matter in Hollywood.
Third, I don't think Berry focuses about the negatives of being mixed. Because Berry is honest about the struggles in her life should be applauded because she is raising awareness of issues that affect actors of color in Hollywood. That's reality. Black, Brown, Yellow, Red, or mixed actors are not on the speed dial of most Hollywood producers or casting agents. Unless someone with Berry's status speaks out, how will she or others get better roles? After Berry received the Oscar, she received script after script of roles of stereotypic black women. Berry rejected those roles and won the role in Gothika, a commercial horror film.
She also played an Italian in "Out of Sight." She was Dennis Farina's daughter. I haven't read the book so I am not 100% sure.
Really, J-Lo has rarely played a Puerto Rican onscreen. Just in A Maid in Manhattan in my recollection. Every other role has been other latinas (Cuban, Mexican), Native Americans, European Americans or characters with no culture specified.
She has the NY Bronx Puerto Rican accent to her voice, that always sounds that same no matter what she plays in. Without being stereotypical, she should pic up verbal and physical expression and dress/jewlery that could possibly set her apart from being J-Lo the actress.
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