Posted on 05/22/2006 8:01:53 PM PDT by pissant
With an Oscar in the bag, it is hard to imagine Halle Berry would have to fight too hard for acting roles.
But the Hollywood A-lister says she has to audition for parts like every other actor.
"I have to fight for almost every job I ever get ... the ones that I really want to do," said Berry in Cannes, promoting her latest film, X-Men: The Last Stand.
"I am not complaining but there is a little thing called racism that this movie X-Men speaks about that, honestly, people like me still suffer from on some level.
Berry explained that if she were to audition for the role of a middle-class, middle-aged mother, producers may assume her husband would also have to be African American.
Her children would also have to be black, which she said some producers would fear may change the dynamics of the story.
"I am not implying that Hollywood is racist, but racism is so subtle that people sometimes won't even realise," she said.
"I still face that; I still struggle with that in Hollywood today."
Berry was in the French Riviera this week for the Cannes International Film Festival, with the third X-Men instalment screening out of competition.
Her character, Storm, again joins forces with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), and Rogue (Anna Paquin).
The film, based on the classic Marvel comic series, sees the super-heroes going up against the government and bad-guy Magneto (Ian McKellen) over the introduction of a "cure" for those with special powers, or mutants as they are referred to in the movie.
"As a woman first, and of colour, too, I have been discriminated against for both; I feel very attached to this material," said Berry.
"What would happen if our government in America tried to impose an antidote to change black people to white? That would be horrible, and I would be afraid of what that would mean for all mankind.
Berry said she felt extremely passionate about the films message.
"I struggled to fit in my whole life, to find acceptance, and it was only as I got into my late 30s that I finally started to realise, who cares?
"I don't have to try to be accepted. I have to try to get people to have more tolerance and accept me as I am. I am not the one that needs to change."
The X-Men comics have an extremely strong fan base around the world.
While critics at Cannes this year have given the movie lukewarm reviews, Berry says the fans were the harshest of critics and, ultimately, the most important.
Could be the most beautiful of all the Bond girls -- Daniela Bianchi (playing Tatiana Romanova).
Also worthy of mention is Claudine Auger (playing Dominique 'Domino' Derval) in Thunderball.
IIRC, she claims to be both black and white. She chose to be black when it came time to cash in on being black and won an Oscar for that move. It must be a real struggle within her. She must combat racism with her white half being racist against her black half. Those "people" out in Whorellywierd needs to get a grip. Hasn't it been reported somewhere that whorellywierd is the most racist place in the US? Seems like I've seen that somewhere.
I can kind of see her point about housewife roles. But I would think it is pragmatism on the part of casting directors and not racism that keeps her away from those roles. Like it or not, there are not that many young black actors, at least not grade school aged. On the other hand there are tons of young white actors. I'm sure that may be classified as racism but the director doesn't make the situation he deals with what he is given. Not to mention if they wanted realism in finding kids who it is reasonable to be hers, you are limiting the talent pool even more by looking for children of mixed descent.
Oh....I can totally relate!
I'm blonde haired and light eyed and I get so sick of people assuming I'm caucasion! Can't they see my obvious American Indian traits from my great great grand dad! (sarc)
I, I, I, I, Me, Me, Me, Me
She sounds like Clinton.
The racism is probably true in Hollywood. But a family member of mine went to high school with her in Bedford, OH. I believe Berry was the class president.
Isn't she white?
Yeah, it's ironic listening to actors complain about these things. Acting is the one field where it's absolutely necessary to discriminate in hiring. There aren't too many other fields that require an employee to "look" the part. It's the one career where they're hired not only on ability, but also on whether they're male or female, or they look a particular ethnic background, or they're just more attractive than most other people.
They grow successful based on appearances, and then when they're successful, they complain that Hollywood is based on appearances.
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