Winning an Oscar didn't change the course of my career: Halle Berry

Los Angeles: Hollywood actress Halle Berry said that winning an Oscar back in 2002 didn’t have a significant impact on her career and directors were still unsure of casting her in the films.

The actress became the only Black woman to win in the ‘Best Actress’ category for her role in 2001’s film ‘Monster's Ball’. Directed by Marc Forster, it featured Berry in the role of Leticia Musgrove. It revolved around Hank (Billy Bob Thornton), a prison guard, who is a part of a convicted murderer’s execution. When he meets Leticia, a black woman, he is smitten with her, not knowing that she is the murderer’s widow.

Berry, who will next feature in ‘Crime 101’, said she expected to get plenty of offers after her win. She also recalled advising ‘Wicked’ star Cynthia Erivo not to put any weight on winning an Oscar.

“It didn’t necessarily change the course of my career. After I won it, I thought there was going to be, like, a script truck showing up outside my front door. While I was wildly proud of it, I was still Black that next morning. Directors were still saying, ‘If we put a Black woman in this role, what does this mean for the whole story? Do I have to cast a Black man? Then it’s a Black movie. Black movies don’t sell overseas,” she told entertainment news outlet ‘The Cut’.

Although Berry remains the only Black actress to receive an Oscar in the ‘Best Actress’ category, Erivo has been nominated in the category for her roles in ‘Harriet’ and ‘Wicked’.

“You deserve it, but I don’t know that it’s going to change your life. It cannot be the validation for what you do, right?” Berry told the actress.

Berry’s upcoming film is directed by Bart Layton and features the actor alongside Chris Hemsworth. She essays the role of an insurance broker, Sharon Colvin, in the film.