WithBruisedbeing her feature film directorial debut,Halle Berryhas earned her place among other highly regarded actors. Early on, before the MCU, she made herself known as the first onscreen Storm inX-Menand although her take inCatwomandidn’t get a great reception, she happily accepted her Razzie trophy–and thenshe destroyed it. But her body of work has been full of films that ranged in genre and dynamic characters she slipped into, making it look easy.
Never one to take it safe, Berry loves finding roles that might have made other actresses uncomfortable. Her fearlessness was what paved the way for her to win at the Academy Awards in 2002. She could also have some fun, appearing in prominent roles of high-concept blockbusters. Through the following films, take a look at the trajectory Halle Berry has been on throughout her acting career so far. There’s no sign she’s slowing down either.
7. Losing Isaiah (1995)
Berry has never been one to choose roles based on how she may look. She’s unafraid to take risks and that benefited her career. She’s done it before and she would do it again. Here, as Khaila Richards, Berry played a broken woman with a crack addiction who does the unthinkable. She leaves her baby behind in an alley, in a dumpster during a high. Baby Isaiah is saved from being tossed into a garbage truck and finds a new home with a social worker (Jessica Lange).
A custody battle happens next as Khaila fights to maintain her status as a mother despite the grave error she committed. The film asks the big question, “What makes a good mother?” Would it be Lange’s character, who treats Isaiah like her own blood? Or Berry’s character, who struggles with doing all she can to get her son back? All these years later, to see these two actresses encounter one another in charged performances still holds its power.
6. Gothika (2003)
A high concept premise for a script can sell a movie before it’s even made. When a psychiatrist wakes up in the hospital she’s employed at, as a patient with no memory of how she got there, a supernatural mystery unfolds. At this point, two years had passed since Berry’s win at the Academy Awards. Everyone knew she was an actress of high caliber, and the fact that she took on this project with a somewhat ludicrous premise might have turned some heads. But for the film to work, it needed someone to sell the concept, to grapple with the audience. That would be Halle Berry.
In a performance full of frantic anxiety, confusion, and fear, Berry was at the top of a well put together cast. The film got very negative reviews at the time of its release and not much love from audiences, and it might be easy to see why. There’s a lot thrown in, from the disorientation of Berry’s character, to the hospitial setting, to ghosts, to a murder mystery. From the production studio, Dark Castle Entertainment, that put outThirteen GhostsandGhost Shipbefore this, Berry wasn’t going to win another Oscar. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a fun ride.
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5. Die Another Day (2002)
James Bond is back withPierce Brosnanin his final outing as the 007 agent. Along for the finale is Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson. Berry played the NSA operative and had the opportunity to do something different with the Bond Girl trope. Not only would Berry be a part of a long-running franchise that was celebrating its 40th anniversary, she got to be an active participant within the film’s wild plot of yet another villain with a devious master plan.
It was a character Berry was ecstatic to be a part of.Die Another Daywent big, with Easter eggs to the past films. In one of the more obvious nods to the past, Berry got to recreate a famous movie entrance fromDr. No, whenUrsula Andress’ Honey Ryder emerged from the water.
4. Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)
With a script from a youngShonda Rhimes, Halle Berry did everything she could to not only get this project made but star in it. It was a passion project for her, to bring the story of Dandridge to life, the first African-American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in her role inCarmen Jones(1954). The actress met a tragic end but Berry managed to carry her idol’s legacy forward. Dandrigde wasn’t about to be forgotten.
A few yearsafter her performance, Berry was nominated and won the Best Actress award in 2002, becoming the first Black actress to do so. In her speech, she thanked actresses of color, starting off with the role model who she got to play.
“This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It’s for the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And it’s for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Thank you. I’m so honored. I’m so honored.”
3. Bruised (2020)
In herdirectorial debut, Berry performed two major duties. The first being the director with the vision to translate the original story of a young white female fighter into that of an older Black fighter. She got some early training in, with her stunts forJohn Wick: Chapter 3(2019) as a trial run. Then when everything was set forBruisedto begin filming, a slight mishap occurred.
On the second day of filming, Berry injured herself. Two ribs were broken, a recovery that would take up precious time the independent film couldn’t afford. A lot was riding on the decision of whether she would leave the production. Money would be lost and an important figure too. Flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko, gave three months out of a continuing championship to be in the film. Halle Berry pushed through all the pain and discomfort and got the film made.
2. Monster’s Ball (2001)
It’s a tough movie to watch whereBilly Bob Thorntonand Halle Berry are united in their grief of losing an adult son. The subject matter only gets tougher and more tragic from there. There was so much worry over the story, Berry was warned against taking on the role. The warning wasn’t heeded. She knew she wanted to tackle it.
Throwing herself into the character of Leticia Musgrove worked out quite well in the end. Not only was the film that much more potent with her performance but Berry received rave reviews. It was this film that earned the actress her first Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first and still only Black actress to do so.
1. The Call (2013)
After a little over a decade since winning the Oscar, Berry showed fans, new and old, why she earned it in the first place. She’s done action-packed films before, high-concept ideas, and played complex women. Here, she gets to have all that rolled into one performance. As 911 operator Jordan Turner, a call gone wrong has left her in turmoil. Removing herself from taking field calls, she decides to be a trainer instead.
But when a call comes in from a girl in distress having been kidnapped, Jordan takes over and guides the girl into doing all she can to save herself. It’s a thriller, with emphasis onthrills. Enough character development is given to set the story up and then off it goes. Halle Berry is the anchor and as Jordan Turner, she does what she always does best, being a vulnerable and strong presence.
