Angela Bassett Hounds Halle Berry For 'Slutty' Role-Accuses Oscar Winner of Prostituting Herself

NY Post, MSNBC.com and Newsweek ^ | June 23, 2002 | Bill Hoffman

[codebreaker]

Angela Bassett has come out swinging against Halle Berry and her Oscar winning performance in 'Monsters Ball'-saying that iit demeaning for black actresses to play sluts.

Bassett tells Newsweek she turned down a chance to play the lead because 'I wasn't going to be a prositute on film.'

'I couldn't do that because it's such a sterotype about black women and sexuality.'

Berry made history as the first black woman to win a Best Actress Academy Award, as a waitress who has a tortured affair with the racist, death row prision guard who executed her cop killer husband.

[codebreaker]

A liitle cheese with your whine Ms. Bassett?

[Wolfie]

I love the smell of sour grapes in the morning.

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

[Pharmboy]

Ms. Bassett is attempting to justify (to herself) why it was a sound decision for her to turn down the role. This proves that darker complected individuals can be just as transparent as those with lighter shades...

[codebreaker]

Sounds like Angie is mad she passed on the role and didn't get the Oscar, and is taking it out on Halle.

To be fair Bassett should have won an Oscar already for playing Tina Turner in 'What's Love Got to Do With It.'

[codebreaker]

Angela must have not read the script very closely, either that or she reufses to do physical love scenes.

But the Ike Turner movie was awfully graphic so her prudishness here is very strange..

[RooRoobird14]

Interesting how there's no talk about white actresses prostituting themselves by playing hookers/sluts onscreen.

Actually, since most Hollywierd actresses in fact ARE sluts in real life, I don't see any problem with them playing prostitutes on screen. LOL

[Tai_Chung]

Bassett tells Newsweek she turned down a chance to play the lead because 'I wasn't going to be a prositute on film.'

Not on Film?

You may like them.
You will see.
You may like them.
in a tree!

Would you like them in a house?
Would you like them with a mouse?

[goldstategop]

You think Angela Bassett's comments against Halle Berry had anything to do with the fact it was an interracial love scene?

[codebreaker]

Angie must have just now realized she has passed up one of the best chances to win an Oscar because of the racial overtones (her percieved biases) in the script.

I thought the movie was pretty good and not demeaning at all, in fact during the love scene it is Halle who has most of the dialogue and takes control of the situation.

[codebreaker]

Its so sad to see these comments from an intelligent lady like Angela Bassett.

She is good in almost everything she stars in like Morgan Freeman.

[mhking]

You think Angela Bassett's comments against Halle Berry had anything to do with the fact it was an interracial love scene?

Nope. Not that she's done a full fledged interracial love scene, but she's had an on-screen interracial relationship before. I think it's more the matter of two things -- firstly, she's been listening a bit to ol' Gypsy Jackson, and secondly, I think she's being a little catty for not taking the role herself.

She's a strong enough actress to fall in that same "color-blind role" category; she's proved it in several movies going back as far as "Strange Days" with Ralph Finnes.

Damn. I wish she hadn't gone down this road. I end up drooling every time I see her (of course, She-who-must-be-obeyed gives neverending grief about it). Ah, well.

[Wolfie]

Ms. Bassett still ticked that she didn't win for the Tina Turner movie. Also, I'll give you a dollar if she was ever even offered the role in the first place.

[E Rocc]

You think Angela Bassett's comments against Halle Berry had anything to do with the fact it was an interracial love scene?

If so, it would be rather ridiculous. Halle's half-white herself.

-Eric

[rdb3]

You think Angela Bassett's comments against Halle Berry had anything to do with the fact it was an interracial love scene?

If it is then Angela is a hypocrite.

I can't remember the name, but in the last year or so, she played the girlfriend of Robert De Niro in a film. De Niro played a thief in this film, but I can't remember the name of it. It was a pretty good movie, too.

[FreeTally]

Halle Berry's career was in freefall until she took off her top in "Swordfish". The industry had been trying to get her to do nude scenes for years, but she wouldn't. Then she does two, one with a pretty heated sex scene, and wow, she gets an oscar. Surprise, surprise.

[codebreaker]

I believe Angela played opposite Robert Deniro in an interracial relationship in the movie 'The Score' with Marlon Brando and Ed Norton a few years back. (talk about some heavywieght actors there!)

Of course Deniro's prefernce for ladies of color is well known, I believe he has several children from interracial relationships.

[codebreaker]

Was Swordfish before or after X-Men, I can't remember..

[philetus]

Uh, Who cares?

[Williams]

I find it facinating that top actresses will take off their clothes and do long scenes in which they simulate every kind of sex. I am no prude, But I think it is pathetically demeaning that people consider this "acting." Also seems like most of them have never had sex because they act like they are being tortured during it.