Why Did Halle Berry Say Oscars Is 'Not Designed' For Black Women?

Halle Berry just admitted that she sees her groundbreaking 2002 Oscar win for 'Monster’s Ball' as a mistake, and believes that Black actresses should stop 'coveting' Oscar Awards, now.  

At the age of 58, Berry remains the only Black woman to have won Best Actress in the Oscars’ history of nearly 100 years. This year, Cynthia Erivo’s 'Wicked' nomination made history, marking the first time a woman of colour was nominated for the award more than once (her first nomination was for 'Harriet'). In total, only 13 Black women have ever been in the race for this prestigious prize.

Questioning The Impact Of Her Win

In an upcoming documentary 'Number One on the Call Sheet', Halle Berry retrospects about her historic Oscar win, questioning its impact.  

“The 23 years since my victory have forced me to ask myself, did it matter? Did it really change anything for women of colour? For my sisters? For our journey?” she says.  

Berry believed that a change would come 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 gonna walk away with this award,” she says. “For equally different and beautiful reasons, they both deserved it, and I thought for sure.”  

However, when Frances McDormand won the award for Nomadland, Berry had a realization.  

“The system is not really designed for us, and so we have to stop coveting that which is not for us," she explains. "Because at the end of the day, it’s ‘How do we touch the lives of people?’ and that fundamentally is what art is for.”

The documentary also features Taraji P. Henson and Whoopi Goldberg, reflecting on the lack of Black women's victory, or even being nominated, for Best Actress.

“Wait a minute, none of us were good enough?” Goldberg asks. “Nobody? In all of these people, nobody? … What are we missing here? This is a conversation people have every year.”  

Whoopi Goldberg won the Best Supporting Actress in 1990 for 'Ghost', making her one of 10 Black women to ever receive that award.  

Henson also shares her frustration over how Hollywood continues to sideline the work of Black actresses. 

“I don’t think the industry really sees us as leads, you know?” she says. “They give us supporting [actress awards] like they give out candy canes. That just – I don’t know what to do with that. Because what are you saying to me?”