Kirsten Howard

Jul 6, 2017

In 2002 Halle Berry became the first black woman to win a Best Actress Oscar for Monster’s Ball, but her joy over it has waned.

Many of us can remember Halle Berry winning a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the 2002 drama Monster’s Ball.

Playing the grieving widow of a man executed on death row, her sexually and emotionally charged on-screen relationship with Billy Bob Thornton’s corrections officer led to a powerhouse performance as Leticia that, once seen, is hard to forget.

On Oscar night, she gave an impassioned acceptance speech. Standing there in her flowery mesh and wine-coloured dress, tears were shed as she became the first black woman to ever win the award. Fast-forward 15 years, and she’s still the only black woman to win the award – a fact that is not lost on the actress.

“It’s troubling. To say the least, it’s troubling,” Berry told Teen Vogue, before explaining how she felt during the 2015 Academy Awards, which were blasted on Twitter for being #OscarsSoWhite due to the complete lack of diversity in the nominations that year. “It was one of my lowest professional moments… I sat there and I thought, wow, that moment really meant nothing. It meant nothing. I thought it meant something but I think it meant nothing.”

Halle Berry explains why her Oscar win

Rather than give up on making changes in the industry, however, the incident has inspired her to step up her efforts to improve things behind the scenes.

“I profoundly hurt by that and saddened by that, and it inspired me to try to get involved in other ways. Which is why I want to start directing. I want to start producing more, I want to start being a part of making more opportunities for people of colour.”

Berry is also trying to make some serious changes at the Academy. “These kinds of groups have to start changing. We have to be more conscious and more inclusive. We need more people of colour writing, directing, producing, not just starring. We have to start telling stories that include us. And when stories don’t include us, we have to start asking, ‘why can’t that be a person of colour? Why can’t that white male character be a black woman?’ Why can’t it? We have to start pushing the envelope and asking these questions.”

We agree wholeheartedly.


Kirsten Howard

Jul 6, 2017

In 2002 Halle Berry became the first black woman to win a Best Actress Oscar for Monster’s Ball, but her joy over it has waned.

Many of us can remember Halle Berry winning a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the 2002 drama Monster’s Ball.

Playing the grieving widow of a man executed on death row, her sexually and emotionally charged on-screen relationship with Billy Bob Thornton’s corrections officer led to a powerhouse performance as Leticia that, once seen, is hard to forget.

On Oscar night, she gave an impassioned acceptance speech. Standing there in her flowery mesh and wine-coloured dress, tears were shed as she became the first black woman to ever win the award. Fast-forward 15 years, and she’s still the only black woman to win the award – a fact that is not lost on the actress.

“It’s troubling. To say the least, it’s troubling,” Berry told Teen Vogue, before explaining how she felt during the 2015 Academy Awards, which were blasted on Twitter for being #OscarsSoWhite due to the complete lack of diversity in the nominations that year. “It was one of my lowest professional moments… I sat there and I thought, wow, that moment really meant nothing. It meant nothing. I thought it meant something but I think it meant nothing.”

Halle Berry explains why her Oscar win

Rather than give up on making changes in the industry, however, the incident has inspired her to step up her efforts to improve things behind the scenes.

“I profoundly hurt by that and saddened by that, and it inspired me to try to get involved in other ways. Which is why I want to start directing. I want to start producing more, I want to start being a part of making more opportunities for people of colour.”

Berry is also trying to make some serious changes at the Academy. “These kinds of groups have to start changing. We have to be more conscious and more inclusive. We need more people of colour writing, directing, producing, not just starring. We have to start telling stories that include us. And when stories don’t include us, we have to start asking, ‘why can’t that be a person of colour? Why can’t that white male character be a black woman?’ Why can’t it? We have to start pushing the envelope and asking these questions.”

We agree wholeheartedly.