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Besides falling in love for real, signing multi-picture deals with Netflix and directing hit movies, Halle Berry also knows how to make fun of herself. Halle Berry had just come off a career high by accepting her first Oscar for her work in Monster’s Ball in 2002 when she made one of the biggest flops of 2004, Catwoman. In 2005, Halle showed up to the Razzie Awards to collect her Worst Actress Award for Catwoman. Halle stated in a video interview with Vanity Fair that she felt she needed to show up in person to receive her Razzie just like she showed up to get her Oscar. Halle explained that it was a way of showing she didn’t take herself so seriously. Halle also said that even though she had fun accepting her Razzie, she has since set it on fire. Below are a few more highlights via Harper’s Bazaar and I’ve also embedded the interview below the post:
In 2005, Berry was awarded a Razzie for Worst Actress for her performance in 2004’s Catwoman—though the actress remained characteristically unfazed. Not only was she in attendance at the awards show that year, but she also took the opportunity to make light of the situation by later burning the award.
Recounting the experience, she told the magazine, “I went to the Razzie [Awards] because I feel like we all take ourselves so seriously. If we get an award, if we get the Oscar, we somehow are made to feel like we’re somehow better than everybody else, but we’re really not. You were just chosen that year by your peers, and you were acknowledged for doing what they considered stellar work.”
It was also a subjective award at the end of the day, the actress added. “If you find yourself face-to-face with a Razzie, does that mean you’re the worst actor there ever was?” she said. “Probably not. You just got the piss taken out on you that year by a group of people that can.
“If I can show up to collect an Oscar when you’re honoring me, I can certainly show up to collect a Razzie when you say, good try, but do better,” she continued. “I always learned that if you can’t be a good loser, then you don’t deserve to be a good winner. So I went there and made fun of myself. I had a great time and then I set that thing on fire. That’s what I did!”
I’ve said that Halle is a very sincere actress and I stand by that, especially after watching this interview. The fact that Halle doesn’t take herself so seriously makes me like her a bit more. That does not mean that Halle does not take her work seriously. Like she said, even though she was blamed for Catwoman flopping, she worked damn hard on that movie. My favorite sound bite from this interview was, “if you can’t be a good loser you don’t deserve to be a good winner.” I was always taught this growing up. Being a good sport makes you approachable and endears you to people.
It was actually quite dope that Halle showed up at the Razzies to receive her Worst Actress Award. I feel that it humanized her. I also laughed out loud when she said she set it on fire. If that ain’t the most fire sign sh*t to do. I would have totally set an award making for my worst performance on fire, to cleanse me of the bad juju. It is Halle’s time again and I am looking forward to seeing her rise. She is ready to take the reigns of her life and career and hopefully step away from all of the relationship drama she was embroiled in for several years. I truly am excited to see what Halle does behind the scenes as a producer and director. In the meantime, I think we can all take a page from Halle’s book by being good losers.
ry (@halleberry)
I do love her perspective on this, she definitely sounds like someone who does not take herself too seriously and knows how to laugh at herself, which is a really important skill sometimes.
That said, i’ll bet it was a lot easier to accept that Razzie knowing she had an Oscar home sitting on her shelf, lol.
😻
She’s a good sport. It sounds like she’s at a really good place in her life.
I thought she was an amazing catwoman.
I love her attitude and honesty.
The first actress to do this was Natalie Wood who shocked the Harvard Lampoon who had named her the Worst Actress of This Year (1966), Next Year and Every Year After.
These pre-dated the Razzies by 15 years. They appeared in 1981.
Ms Wood had her agents call and tell them she absolutely wanted to come and wanted to know when & where the ceremony would be.
As there was no ceremony planned, she actually showed she was several chess moves ahead of the boys at Harvard.
Like Ms Berry, she mentioned in interviews at the time that during those same years she’d been nominated for other awards, including Oscar, and she felt it was only fair to acknowledge the “Worsts” along with the “Bests.”
Which I think shows class and badassery.
I had no idea about Natalie Wood doing that–thanks for sharing. Also, great name @SuSuSusio!
Also, Halle’s humility & willingness to laugh at herself reminds me of when Elizabeth Taylor said something like, “If someone’s dumb to offer me a million dollars to do a picture, I’m not dumb enough to say no.”
Love that! Wish I’d met Liz.
I love it when people are good sports about things and I respect the hell out of her for showing up in person.
People complain about the ubiquitousness of the Marvel movies, but they treat the original material seriously. Catwoman with Halle and Sharon Stone was one of the worst big budget comic book movies. It was so condescending and misogynistic. You hire two of the most beautiful women in Hollywood to be in a super hero movie and what’s the plot? They’re afraid of aging and something, something, cosmetic company…oh look beautiful people breathing. If they’d made the Immortals movies, the plot probably would’ve been, the ladiez have sads cause they can’t reproduce.
We, (including the actors), deserved better.
I like her even more after reading this. She seems very humble, and I bet that makes her great to work with. I hope she gets more amazing roles, because it always seemed like she wasn’t offered enough good roles after she won an Oscar.
great advice! And i LOOOOVE the colour of that dress – while I am sure I love the dress itself but – wow – she looks amazing!
that is awesome. It looks like she was the first person ever to accept her razzle in person at the awards show!