Oscar-winning actor Halle Berry has finally spoken out about being misled into playing Storm in “X-Men: The Last Stand” with Fox Studios.
Nearly a year after director Matthew Vaughn exposed during New York Comic Con the “shady” tactics used to get her to sign on, Berry took to social media to call out Hollywood for its manipulative practices.
During a panel at the trade convention in October 2023, Vaughn revealed that the studio created a secret script to appeal to Halle Berry’s compassionate side. According to him, they added a storyline about little Black children in Africa, with Storm returning to save them from starvation, hoping this would convince Berry to join the project.
“One of the main reasons I quit ‘X-Men 3,’ and this is a true story, I went to an executive’s office and I saw an ‘X3’ script. It was a lot fatter,” Vaughn in the clip, recently reposted by the “Catwoman” star.
“I asked, ‘What is this draft?’ They were like, ‘Don’t worry about it.’ So I grabbed it and opened the first page, and it said, ‘Africa. Kids dying from no water, and Storm creates a thunderstorm to save all these children,’” he continued.
Vaughn said he pressed harder about the alternative script he stumbled upon and was allegedly told, “This is the Halle Berry script because she hasn’t signed on yet. This is what she wants it to be. And once she signs on, we’ll throw it in the bin.”
As a result, the “Superman Returns” director said he stepped away from the project.
“I thought if you’re going to do that to an Oscar-winning actress who plays Storm, I quit,” Vaughn said. “I thought, ‘I’m mincemeat.’”
In reply to a recent repost of a video of Vaughn’s panel talk, Berry wrote in the caption, “Ya just never know the shady s—t going on behind ya back! Thank you Matthew Vaughn for bringing the dark to light.”
Immediately, her followers weighed in, including some of her famous sisters in the struggle.
Actress Taraji P. Henson, who has been extremely vocal about how challenging being a Black actor in the industry has been, wrote, “One thang about Hollywood she gon HOLLYHOOD baby!!!!!”
“They did you so dirty,” one person said, adding, “Storm is one of the most interesting and important x-men and they should have given you and the character more respect.”
Another commented, “The studios did you and storm so dirty. Still waiting for a storm solo movie!!!”
Someone else agreed, adding, “glad this is getting exposed.”
A fifth comment said, “We all knew something was off, they didn’t do justice to a character and a wonderful actress. I couldn’t make sense how weakish they made Storm look. However, a few scenes proved them wrong.”
Despite the Africa storyline being cut, the showrunners still offered Halle Berry a significant role. Her character, Storm, was made the headmaster of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters after Charles Xavier’s death, giving her a more prominent position in the film.
Berry appeared in four X-Men movies: “X-Men” (2000), “X2: X-Men United” (2003), “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006), and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014).
While fans loved her portrayal, she wasn’t invited to participate in other Marvel films, unlike some of her fellow actors. Most notably, her Storm character was never introduced as T’Challa’s wife in the “Black Panther” films and not included in the storyline for the new “Deadpool & Wolverine” movie.
Some speculate this might be due to her reported clashes with “X-Men” director Bryan Singer. According to Variety, she once told Singer on set, “You can kiss my Black a—.”
Still, Berry expressed gratitude that Vaughn showed the world a glimpse of the challenges she still faces as a Black woman in the business.
It seems it doesn’t matter that she is one of the top-billing African-American women in Hollywood, the third-wealthiest Black woman in entertainment (after Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé), or remains the only Black woman to ever win the Academy Award for Best Actress, “Hollywood is gon’ to Hollyhood.”
