In 2001 Halle Berry won the Oscar for Best Actress thanks to her killer performance in the drama movie Monster’s Ball. Becoming the first woman of color ever to take home the award, you’d expect that Monster’s Ball would have had Hollywood chasing the star down with a mountain of work. Well, in fact, it seemed to do the opposite, and according to the Catwoman actor, it didn’t actually help her career in any way.
In an interview with Variety, Berry described how, unfortunately, her image in the industry had not changed despite her new shiny Oscar. Describing her situation as “suffering from ‘just being a pretty face'”, the actor shared how Monster’s Ball failed to sway entrenched misogynistic views that had stopped her career from soaring straight away.
“I thought the script truck was going to back up to my door and dump them all off. That’s my naivete. I’ve got a historic win. Clearly, this is going to mean this struggle is going to be indelibly easier for me. And that just didn’t happen,” Berry said. “Weeks went by, and finally, it set in. Oh, I have this award, and I can’t go anywhere now without someone knowing my name. But within the industry, the big famous directors, no one called. My reality went back to normal, and I was still suffering from ‘just being a pretty face.”
Despite her naysayers and facing prejudice, Berry has managed to thrive, and prove that she is far more than just a pretty face but is instead an immense talent. Appearing in wildly popular franchises such as Marvel Studio’s X-Men movies, she has cemented her name in cinematic history.