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.

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

. . . Jealous . .

[Gumlegs]

I end up drooling every time I see her (of course, She-who-must-be-obeyed gives neverending grief about it). Ah, well.

Well ... I am not so encumbered.

[codebreaker]

I believe she was offered the role.

The part is not degrading in any sense of the word, throughout the whole film the character of the waitress refuses take charity from the Billy Bob Thornton prision guard role and the love scene only occurs at the end.

I thought that Halle was too beautiful to play a waitress, but she is believable as the mom yelling at her kids..

[mhking]

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!)

Yep - that was last year. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

[mhking]

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

"Swordfish" (along with both of Halle's breasts) was after "X-Men."

[codebreaker]

Halle was paid $500,000 for a 'supporting' role in Swordfish and didn't make any denial of getting the money.

Good for her, I'm with Rush on this one if the movie is rated R so that kids can't get in -then she deserves what ever amount the producers will pay her to do the role.

No one complains when Julia Robert's chest is falling about all over the place during the whole movie in 'Erin Boob-a-vich' (in which she also won an Oscar)

[mhking]

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.

Agreed; not only that, both of them are able to play "colorblind-roles" as well or better than most black actors in Hollywood (although many would throw Will Smith into that club)...then again, Morgan Freeman shoved his foot into his throat not long ago as well...

[MotleyGirl70]

She's just jealous.

[zarf]

when Angela Bassett she wishes to do love scenes, I'll volunteer for the male lead.

[codebreaker]

Recently Morgan Freeman can come out as quite the supporter of Bush according to MSNBC and Newsweek.Morgan Freeman says-'George W. Bush has been a perfect president '

I think he belives correctly that we must support the president in wartime.

As for Will Smith I definitely think he is a member of the 'colorblind' club in Hollywood.

[codebreaker]

I cant wait to see Halle in the new James Bond.

She does a reprise of the 'Dr. No' scene with scuba gear.

[mhking]

when Angela Bassett she wishes to do love scenes, I'll volunteer for the male lead.

Provided She-who-must-be-obeyed isn't looking, you'll have to get in line behind me...[g]

[codebreaker]

You have not even begun to drool yet..

[Gumlegs]

That post is pretty close to the line ...

Thank you very much.

[Dr. Frank fan]

You people are all forgetting an even more important reason for Ms. Bassett not to have taken a role like this:

She's been too busy making Oscar-calibre masterpieces. Y'know, like Strange Days.

[codebreaker]

Actaully Halle didn't get the female supporting part in the John Travolta summer blockbuster 'Broken Arrow' because the producers didn't think she was believable as a forest ranger.

What were those guys smokin! Halle+ Tight restictive outfit divided by summer blockbuster=big box office

[LurkerNoMore!]

"Then she does two, one with a pretty heated sex scene, and wow, she gets an oscar. Surprise, surprise."

Actually, she was incredible in this movie. I'm not a huge fan of hers (especially after her acceptance speech), but in my opinion she deserved the award.

Thanks for the ping, oph.

[Illbay]

Maybe so, but Angela Bassett is a better actress than Berry ever conceived of being. She has range and versatility. I saw her in the SF thriller Supernova and thought she was just outstanding opposite James Spader.

[codebreaker]

Actually 'The Score' with Angela Basset, Robert Deniro and Brando wasn't a bad flick.

I heard that Deniro refused to do the movie unless Angela Bassett was cast, so it's not like people aren't sticking up for her in casting..she just picked the wrong script