Halle Berry may have just found her next onscreen obsession, and Zendaya’s new look has something to do with it.
It’s been over 20 years since Berry won an Emmy for her lead role in “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.”
She sported a short hairdo and a stunning black lace dress while she proudly held her award for all to see. Zendaya attended this year’s Emmys with the same confidence and what some call her most unique look yet.
One unexpected detail caught Berry’s attention and sent fans imagining a collaboration between two generations of Hollywood star power.
Berry’s reaction quickly turned a style moment into something bigger, leaving fans eager to see whether the idea could make it from social media to the big screen.
“There’s an actress that I love with every fiber of my being. And I would love to play her mother,” said Berry in a clip recirculating online.
The clip, from Berry’s February appearance on “The Drew Berrymore Show,” was also shared on her Instagram story.
She paused briefly before revealing the name of the person she wants to shoot a movie with.
“Zendaya,” Berry revealed to Berrymore before she playfully asked the crowd, “I could play her mom, right?”
Most viewers watching agreed, just like they did online. Two social media users said, “Someone better be writing the script” and “MAKE….THIS….HAPPEN….NOW!!!!”
Others quickly turned the idea into a wish list, demanding, “We need to start a petition for this!!!! I would pay extra to see this. Even if it only happened for a second.”
Another fan later added, “This aged so well She looked stunning at the Emmys,” suggesting Zendaya’s latest appearance only strengthened the excitement.
The “Euphoria” actress attended the 78th Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 wearing a custom Prada dress covered in sequins and appliqués. The dress featured a low V-neckline, which she complemented with a Rolex and diamond earrings.
Although she did not win in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category, the true star of the night was her very short pixie.
Zendaya has been cutting her hair shorter in the last few years, experimenting with medium length and bobs and bixies (a fusion of the bob and pixie).
But this Emmy look is the shortest the world has seen her wear.
Her hairstylist Coree Moreno said, “For Zendaya, the inspiration is a classic pixie reimagined through a modern, editorial lens.” He added that he was going for a “feminine and refined” style with a “little rebellion.”
Before she made the debut, he hinted to “Live from E!: 2026 Emmys” that the cut was inspired by Halle Berry.
“She’s debuting a new haircut. It’s better tonight,” she said. “She cut it a little bit more, and we’re paying homage to another great African American, beautiful actress.”
In his Instagram Story, he shared an image of Berry wearing a similar hairstyle and wrote “The original” on it before tagging her.
Berry reposted Roach’s Story to hers and added a kissing-heart GIF. She later reshared a post he added to his Story from The Zoe Report, which was a collage of Zendaya’s look and Berry’s 2002 silver dress look at the premiere of “Die Another Day.”
The next day, on Sept. 15, she reshared a nine second video of Zendaya at the Emmys and said, “murdered the night.”
In another reshared post comparing both women side by side, she added, “My girl.”
Fans commented on Zendaya’s look and Berry’s enthusiastic reaction. One person said, “She tryna book that biopic!!”
Another person typed, “That Halle Berry cut on Zendaya?? Oh she understood the assignment BAD.”
Social media users praised both women while celebrating Zendaya for appreciating those before her.
“THIS is how you pay homage. Halle is and will always be that girl,” read one comment. Another said, “She be walking on necks without trying.”
Halle Berry’s signature pixie cut helped launch her acting career. She told InStyle that cutting her hair made her feel confident and helped her land her first role as Emily Franklin on the 1980s sitcom “Living Dolls.”
“When I got this haircut, I felt like my best self. I had no hair to hide behind,” Berry shared. “It was just all me, take it or leave it, love it or hate it. It was who I was.”
She added, “I cut my hair short when I first became an actor and I finally got a job and I think that was because the directors and producers actually saw me. Before that, I had long hair like every other girl like me and I dared to cut it short.”
Berry continued wearing short hair through the 1990s and early 2000s, including when she became the first Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar in 2002.
So Zendaya’s next role could change her career entirely.
Berry previously praised Zendaya’s work in the 2021 Netflix film “Malcolm and Marie. It follows a long argument between a film director and his girlfriend on the night of his movie premiere.
She described Zendaya as “brave” and “wildly beautiful” in the film.
“But she’s not afraid not to be beautiful. I see her as an actress who will fight to be greater than her beauty. She’s not relying on it,” Berry told Variety.
Berry has long stated she wanted to be praised for her other qualities, not just her beauty.
Zendaya & Halle Berry on screen together when… pic.twitter.com/luQePudmXr
— Steven (@StevenTnyc) September 14, 2026
