Halle Berry has disclosed that she cautioned actress Cynthia Erivo about the reality of winning an Oscar, suggesting it may not drastically alter her career trajectory. Berry, the first and only Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar, shared this advice in a recent interview with The Cut.
Berry told Erivo, "You goddamn deserve it, but I don't know that it's going to change your life. It cannot be the validation for what you do." Reflecting on her own historic win for 'Monster's Ball' in 2002, Berry admitted she expected a flood of new scripts but was met with Hollywood's persistent racial biases instead.
"After I won it, I thought there was going to be, like, a script truck showing up outside my front door," Berry said. "While I was wildly proud of it, I was still Black that next morning." She recounted hearing directors express concerns that casting a Black actress would limit a film's international appeal.
Cynthia Erivo has received two Oscar nominations, for her roles in 'Harriet' and the 2024 musical 'Wicked'. Meanwhile, Halle Berry is currently promoting her upcoming crime thriller 'Crime 101', set for release on February 13.