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‘Did It Matter?’: Halle Berry Says Her Historic Oscar Win Wasn’t a Turning Point—Urges Black Actresses to Stop Coveting Awards ‘Not Designed for Us’

Posted byBy Nicole Duncan-Smith | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Halle Berry stands alone in Oscar history even after more than two decades since her groundbreaking win.

The trailblazing actress now sees her 2002 Academy Award as more of an outlier than a watershed moment for Black women in Hollywood.

In the nearly 100-year history of the prestigious ceremony, Berry remains the only Black woman to claim the Best Actress Award, a distinction that has led her to profound reflection in the upcoming Apple TV+ documentary “Number One on the Call Sheet.”

Halle Berry urges Black actresses to stop coveting Oscars that aren’t designed for them and focus on creating impactful art instead.(Photo: Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images)

Berry’s reflections come amid continued disappointment over the lack of recognition for Black women in leading roles, with only 15 Black actresses ever nominated in the category throughout the Academy’s history.

Her win for “Monster’s Ball” initially seemed to signal a turning point, but the subsequent two decades have challenged that optimism.

“It’s forced me to ask myself, did it matter? Did it really change anything for women of color? For my sisters? For our journey?” Berry questions in the documentary, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The veteran actress points to the 2021 Academy Awards as a particularly revealing moment, when both Andra Day and Viola Davis were nominated for their biopic performances in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” respectively.

Berry recalls feeling “100 percent sure” that one of them would take home the award that year.

“For equally different and beautiful reasons, they both deserved it, and I thought for sure,” she says.

However, the Oscar ultimately went to Frances McDormand for “Nomadland,” marking her third win in the category.

This outcome prompted Berry to reconsider the fundamental nature of the awards system.

“The system is not really designed for us, and so we have to stop coveting that which is not for us,” she concludes. “Because at the end of the day, it’s ‘How do we touch the lives of people?’ and that fundamentally is what art is for.”

The documentary also features other prominent Black actresses expressing similar frustrations.

Whoopi Goldberg, who won Best Supporting Actress for “Ghost” in 1990, questions the persistent lack of recognition.

She said, “Wait a minute, none of us were good enough? Nobody? In all of these people, nobody?… What are we missing here? This is a conversation people have every year.”

Taraji P. Henson offers her insight into the industry’s perspective, suggesting a systemic bias against seeing Black women as leads.

“I don’t think the industry really sees us as leads, you know?” she says. “They give us supporting [actress awards] like they give out candy canes. That just — I don’t know what to do with that. Because what are you saying to me?”

This sentiment echoes the experience of Mo’Nique, who won Best Supporting Actress for “Precious” in 2009 but claimed her career suffered afterward.

Unlike Berry’s focus on systemic issues, Mo’Nique has pointed to personal betrayals within the industry, particularly from filmmakers Lee Daniels, Tyler Perry, and Oprah Winfrey.

“What I understood was that when I won that Oscar, things would change in all the ways you’re saying: It should come with more respect, more choices and more money. It should, and it normally does,” Mo’Nique told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015.

She recounted a conversation with Daniels, who allegedly told her she’d been “blackballed” because she “didn’t play the game.”

Mo’Nique’s situation highlights a complex dynamic where even recognition can lead to career challenges.

“When you know the history of Hattie McDaniel, when you know the history of Eartha Kitt … when you know the history of these women that gave everything, and the moment they said something ain’t right, they became difficult, they were blackballed,” she stated in a 2020 interview with Claudia Jordan.

After years of public conflict, Mo’Nique and Daniels have recently reconciled, collaborating on the Netflix film “The Deliverance,” set for release in August 2024.

Daniels publicly apologized to Mo’Nique in 2022, saying, “I am so sorry for hurting you in any way.”

At the same time, Henson says that Perry, who is also a powerful Hollywood movie broker, has paid her more and provided more opportunities than anyone else in the industry.

As Berry’s comments and Mo’Nique’s journey illustrate, the relationship between Black actresses and Hollywood’s highest honors remains complicated.

While the Oscars may represent the pinnacle of recognition in the industry, both women suggest that true artistic fulfillment might lie elsewhere — whether in touching audiences’ lives or creating work independently of an awards system that has historically overlooked Black women’s contributions in leading roles.

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