Halle Berry is certainly one of the most recognizable and prominent names in Hollywood with astonishing credits to her name. Sure, the actor had a few hits and a miss but she has built a compelling cinematic legacy worth celebrating. However, the actor recently revealed that she has been peeved by the fact that she remained the only black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress in 22 years.
Halle Berry Is Mad For Being Only Black Woman With Best Actress Oscar In 22 Years
Halle Berry who recently appeared in Julian Farino’s action thriller, The Union alongside Mark Wahlberg (now streaming on Netflix), recently told Marie Claire that she has been frustrated not seeing more black women getting Best Actress win at the Oscars since her win in 2002.
“I’m still eternally miffed that no Black woman has come behind me for that best actress Oscar, I’m continually saddened by that year after year. And it’s certainly not because there has been nobody deserving,” Berry told the outlet in a recent interview.
It has been 22 years since Berry got her Oscar win in the Best Actress in a Leading Role category for her performance in Marc Forster-directed 2001 romance thriller Monster’s Ball. Berry played the leading woman Leticia Musgrove in the movie coming from a script written by Milo Addica, and Will Rokos.
The movie also stars Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Sean Combs, Mos Def, and Peter Boyle.
Berry further asserted that Andra Day in The United States vs. Billie Holiday which claimed an Oscar nod and Viola Davis’ stunning performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom deserved the win.
Halle Berry’s Oscar Win Was Her Biggest Heartbreak
Berry was grateful for the biggest achievement in cinematic prowess and celebrated the win being the first black woman to win an Oscar in the Best Actress Lead. She was hoping that her win would open the door for “every nameless, faceless woman of color.” However, years passed and the actor did not see anyone claiming the win again and that was heartbreaking for the actor. Speaking with Variety in 2020, Berry shared that her Oscar win turned out to be her biggest sadness.
“I thought Cynthia [Erivo, the star of ‘Harriet’] was going to do it last year,” Berry told Variety. “I thought Ruth [Negga, nominated for 2016’s ‘Loving’] had a really good shot at it too. I thought there were women that rightfully, arguably, could have, should have. I hoped they would have, but why it hasn’t gone that way, I don’t have the answer.”
The actor went on to add, “It’s one of my biggest heartbreaks” continuing, “The morning after, I thought, ‘Wow, I was chosen to open a door.’ And then, to have no one … I question, ‘Was that an important moment, or was it just an important moment for me?’ I wanted to believe it was so much bigger than me.”
Her Oscar win, she added, “felt so much bigger than me, mainly because I knew others should have been there before me and they weren’t.”
Berry is set to appear in Alexandre Aja’s horror thriller, Never Let Go. Fueled with intense suspense, the movie is set for a Sept. 20 theatrical release.
