Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for “Best Actress” in 2002 for her role in the controversial film, “Monster’s Ball.”
Many, including Berry herself, hoped that her historic win would signal a huge change in Hollywood diversity, but that was definitely not the case. 15 years later, Berry opened up about her disappointment.
As reported by Variety, while giving a recent Teen Vogue interview during a panel discussion at Cannes, Berry was very candid in deeply disappointed she is that no other black woman has duplicated her Academy Award success. She also said she hoped to change things in the near future by stepping behind the scenes.
[Halle Berry on how nothing has changed since her Oscar win]: “I sat there and I really thought, ‘Wow, that moment really meant nothing. It meant nothing. I thought it meant something, but I think it meant nothing,’” she said of her own historic win in light of the 2016 nominations. “I was profoundly hurt by that, and saddened by that,” Berry said. “It inspired me to try to get involved in other ways, which is why I want to start directing. I want to start producing more. I want to start making more opportunities for people of color. I have conversations more deeply with Academy members, and I’m trying to figure out how to help and add more diversity to the Academy.”
She went on to stress the need for Hollywood to be more inclusive of minority talent, both in front of and behind the camera. “I think black people… people of color… only have a chance to win based on how much we’re allowed to put out. That says to me that we need more people of color writing, directing, producing — not just starring,” she said. “We have to start telling stories that include us.”
Berry’s thoughts come on the heels of The Academy announcing the new members for the 2017 class, with people of color making up 30% of the new invitees. According to the Academy, that percentage adds to a 331% increase of people of color invited to join the Academy from 2015-2017.
SOURCE: Variety
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Halle Berry Reflects On Historic Oscar Win, Says ‘It Meant Nothing’ For Diversity was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
