Halle Berry on winning the Oscar in 2002: "Didn’t necessarily change the course of my career"

Halle also pointed out that, even years later, she remains the only Black actor to have won the Best Actress Oscar.

• Halle Berry says her historic 2002 Oscar win did not transform her career
• She remains the only Black woman to win Best Actress at the Oscars
• Berry will next star in Crime 101 and a Bart Layton film with Chris Hemsworth

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Hollywood star Halle Berry has recently opened up on her historic Oscar win in 2002, admitting that the milestone did not significantly transform her career, as filmmakers continued to hesitate when it came to casting her in mainstream roles.

Berry made history as the first — and still the only — Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, which she received for her performance in the 2001 film Monster’s Ball.

Despite the critical acclaim and the prestige of the Oscar, Berry, who will next be seen in Crime 101, said she had hoped the win would open more doors. She also recalled a conversation in which she advised Wicked actor Cynthia Erivo not to place too much importance on winning an Oscar.

In an interview with The Cut, Halle said, "It didn’t necessarily change the course of my career...After I won it, I thought there was going to be, like, a script truck showing up outside my front door. While I was wildly proud of it, I was still Black that next morning. Directors were still saying, ‘If we put a Black woman in this role, what does this mean for the whole story? Do I have to cast a Black man? Then it’s a Black movie. Black movies don’t sell overseas."

Halle also pointed out that, even years later, she remains the only Black actor to have won the Best Actress Oscar. Cynthia Erivo, however, has earned nominations in the category for her performances in Harriet and Wicked.

"You deserve it, but I don’t know that it’s going to change your life. It cannot be the validation for what you do, right," Halle told the actor.

Also read: Oscar Nominations 2026: Complete list of nominees by category

Directed by Marc Forster, the film saw Berry play Leticia Musgrove, a grieving woman whose life becomes intertwined with Hank (Billy Bob Thornton), a prison guard involved in the execution of her husband, a convicted murderer. Hank develops feelings for Leticia without initially realising her connection to the man he helped put to death.

Meanwhile, Berry is gearing up for her next project, directed by Bart Layton, in which she stars alongside Chris Hemsworth. In the film, she plays Sharon Colvin, an insurance broker.