Halle Berry made history in 2002 when she became the first Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Monster’s Ball. The 58-year-old in her acceptance speech touched on the momentous feat and how that was going to open doors for women of color in the industry.
“This moment is so much bigger than me,” the veteran actress emotionally said at the time. “This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll….And it’s for every nameless and faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened.”
But 22 years down the line, Berry remains the only Black actress to attain that feat. The 58-year-old in a recent interview with Marie Claire said she’s “continually saddened” because of that.
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“I’m still eternally miffed that no Black woman has come behind me for that best actress Oscar, I’m continually saddened by that year after year,” Berry revealed. “And it’s certainly not because there has been nobody deserving.”
Berry also highlighted Black actresses who equally deserved to be awarded an Oscar for Best Actress for their stellar roles in movies. She made mention of Andra Day in The United States vs. Billie Holiday and Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Berry in a previous interview with Variety also touched on that same topic and even made a similar reference to Black actresses who deserved to win an Oscar in that category. At the time, the Die Another Day actress said the performances by Cynthia Erivo in Harriet and Ruth Negga in Loving deserved an Oscar recognition.
“I thought there were women that rightfully, arguably, could have, should have. I hoped they would have, but why it hasn’t gone that way, I don’t have the answer,” she said at the time.
Berry also explained that winning the Oscar for Best Actress was “one of my biggest heartbreaks” because it did not fulfill its purpose of giving fellow Black women a seat at the table.
“The morning after, I thought, ‘Wow, I was chosen to open a door.’ And then, to have no one … I question, ‘Was that an important moment, or was it just an important moment for me?’” she questioned.
“I wanted to believe it was so much bigger than me. It felt so much bigger than me, mainly because I knew others should have been there before me and they weren’t…just because I won an award doesn’t mean that, magically, the next day, there was a place for me. I was just continuing to forge a way out of no way.”
