Oscars not designed for black women, says Halle Berry

By Tosin Brown

Halle Berry has advised Black female actresses in Hollywood not to focus on winning Oscars, stating that the awards are not designed for them.

In a recent interview, Berry described her historic 2002 Oscar win for Monster’s Ball as an anomaly and urged fellow Black actresses to stop “coveting” Academy Awards.

The 58-year-old remains the only Black woman to have won the Best Actress Oscar in the award’s nearly 100-year history. Cynthia Erivo’s nomination for Wicked earlier this year marked the first time a woman of color has been nominated for Best Actress more than once, following her previous nomination for Harriet.

Only 15 Black women have ever been in contention for the award.

Reflecting on the impact of her win, Berry said, “The 23 years since my victory have forced me to ask myself: Did it matter? Did it really change anything for women of color? For my sisters? For our journey?”

She added that she had high hopes in 2021 when both Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) and Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) were nominated.

“I felt 100% sure that this was the year one of them was going to walk away with the award,” Berry said. “For equally different and beautiful reasons, they both deserved it, and I thought for sure it would happen.”

Berry remains the only Black woman to have won the Best Actress Oscar.