Halle Berry’s character in the 2001 film “Monster’s Ball” was a huge risk mainly because of the spicy hot sex scene between herself and her co-star Billy Bob Thornton.
The scene was heavily criticized and scrutinized, leaving many in the Black community to side-eye Berry while other people felt it could have potentially ruined her career. But it’s a risk that earned her an Oscar in 2002 for Best Actress, making her the first — and to this day the only — Black woman to receive an Oscar in that category.
Her infamous love scene even seemed so realistic to some viewers, that it sparked rumors, leaving many to speculate whether she and Thornton were actually having sex on camera. But Berry has finally put speculation to rest.
On Monday, Oct. 7, the “Catwoman” star spoke to fellow actor Dax Shepard for his podcast “Armchair Expert,” where she reflected on the scene and the “urban legend” behind it.
“This has plagued Billy Bob and I since we did that movie. We had this very explicit love scene. There’s an urban legend that we really were f—ing, and it’s just not true,” she said as Shepard interjected, claiming he, too, has heard the rumor.
During the discussion, Berry also slammed the rumors that she’s dated film director Spike Lee and her “Boomerang” co-star, Eddie Murphy, who played her love interest in the 1992 film.
She further touched on the annoyance of the gossip as Shepard brought up a similar rumor that came up for actors Lisa Bonet and Mickey Rourke due to their explicit sex scene in the 1987 film “Angel Heart.”
In regards to that, Berry said, “I’ve heard it too and it’s secretly driven me mad all these years.”
Actor Monica Padman was also on the podcast and had her own thoughts to add. She said, “That must be so annoying, that every time you do a project and you’re doing these incredible roles and incredible work and the rumors that come out are always about who you’re f-cking or who you’re dating.”
“Right you can’t just be a good actor and you can’t just make that sh-t look real,” Berry said before ending on a sarcastic note saying, “You had to really be doing it.”
22 years ago, halle berry became first black woman to win the oscar for 'best actress', to this day she remains the only black woman to have won in said category 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/E82W0Y5By3
— popculture (@notgwendalupe) March 10, 2024
To further put an end to speculation that she and Thornton were really being intimate, the 58-year-old brought up the point that Thornton was married to none other than fellow actress Angelina Jolie at the time.
“I know Angie, and she ain’t signing off on that sh-t,” Berry added, “and I’m a girl’s girl, I’ll do a lot of things but I’m not going to sleep with your man.”
Despite the distasteful rumor looming over her, and the backlash about the scene itself, Berry seemingly has no regrets about the role.
Thornton reflected on the scene back in 2014 with Huffington Post, he said, “It felt so real when we were doing it that [we felt] the heaviness surrounding the circumstances in the story. I think maybe that’s why it comes across so well on screen, because it was two desperate human beings in this moment alone, and we kind of were alone.”
But Berry’s peers in the Black community have felt otherwise. Many were disappointed that her character, Leticia, was written to have a sexual relationship with a white man (played by Thornton) who earlier in the film had a hand in executing her Black husband.
Leticia’s husband was a prisoner who was given the electric chair and Thornton’s character, who is a prison guard, assisted in that execution but does not tell Leticia once he finds out she is the prisoner’s wife.
Some viewers felt Berry’s character was used as a mere sexual object for Thornton’s character. Not only that, but Thornton’s character was also initially racist in the film, which added another layer of complication for viewers.
