Halle Berry Oscar Win: 'Extant' Actress Says Finding Work Has Been Equally Hard at Ages 21 and 48
Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry has come to the personal realization that winning an Oscar isn't all it's cracked up to be.
The Guardian.com reports 48-year-old Berry insists her Best Actress award for her role in the movie "Monster's Ball" didn't open doors for her, as some might assume.
"If anybody tells you after winning an Oscar they can pick out things that will be hits, they're lying," said the only African-American actress to win the Best Actress Oscar. "I'm inspired, though, when I see how many people of color are doing such good work out there. The quality and value of our work isn't determined by an award."
While Berry readily admits that her biggest disappointment still lies in the way no other blacks have been awarded in the way she has, she added: "the real win is when we're not just selling stories of color that people of color can be in everyday stories. Where we're not saying: 'These are the movies for black people.'"
Berry also stressed that she doesn't feel age isn't as big a factor for black actresses' lack of work as what's sometimes been advertised.
"I've always had a hard time getting roles, being of color, so I've got as many available to me as I've always had -- there's no difference for me," she said. "When I was 21, it was as hard as it is now when I'm 48. For me, it's the same."
Berry is soon scheduled to star in a U.K.-released film entitled "Frankie Alice," in which she plays a woman with a multiple personality disorder.
"If only five people see it, it's worth taking the time to make the journey, to do the art," she said.
With all she's done and accomplished, Berry admits she still longs for what she views as her dream project.
"I really would love to one day tell the story of Angela Davis," Berry said. "I don't think she wants a story of her life to be told at this time, and I would never do that without her blessing. But that has always been a passion of mine. She's just fascinating: the era she lived in, the Black Panthers and all that they stood for, and her connection to it. I have a lot of respect for how she lived her life."
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