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AFTER a
string of critical and commercial disappointments that
followed her 2002 Oscar win for Monster’s Ball,
Halle Berry drew accolades for her dramatic performance in this year’s
Things We Lost in the Fire, including an NAACP Image
Award nomination for outstanding actress in a motion
picture.
In the
film, Berry plays a mother of two who is devastated when
her husband is murdered. She becomes involved in a shaky
but eventually healing relationship with his best
friend, Jerry, a lawyer turned heroin addict (Benicio
del Toro). Now expecting her first child with her
boyfriend, model Gabriel Aubry,
Berry
takes a moment to reflect on the role and her life.
What do
you like most about your character and what the least?
I loved
her resilience, that she was able to deal with her own
grief and was then able to help someone else. But before
she had that loss, she was a judgmental person, very
self-righteous. She didn’t have the ability to come out
of herself. She passed a lot of judgment on [Jerry]. But
I understood a lot of that came from fear.
Have
there been roles that made you wonder if you’ve taken on
more than you should have?
I always
think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. [Laughs] I
always have that fear: Have I chosen something I can’t
handle? But then I realize that’s the reason why I chose
it. I’m like a moth to a flame. When the risk is really
high, that’s a real charge for me.
You’ve
played such diverse roles. Is there a common thread
about them that defines your sensibility or philosophy
of life?
The
characters are all different, but the common thread for
me is to always choose roles that provide an outlet to
express what I’m going through in real life. Since
Jungle Fever, I’ll have that personal catharsis, where
I’ll have a eureka moment and think, ‘That’s why this
came to my life.’
With
Things We Lost in the Fire, I desperately wanted to
become a mother. I’ve played a mother before but this
was a woman who was a good mother and completely devoted
to her children and her family. And that’s what I wanted
to create in my own life.
Do you
think having a child will influence your artistic
choices?
I’m
positive it will have a profound effect. I have no way
of knowing how. Maybe in six months, but that would just
be me guessing. I know I will feel the need to express
something different. If I stay true to how I’ve chosen
roles before, my choices will express the new person
I’ve become.
When was
the last time you watched Things We Lost in the Fire
I will
watch my movies once when we’re preparing to do
publicity and then once at the premiere, and I never
watch them again. It’s just hard to watch myself—it’s
not something I enjoy doing.
During
award season, how do you deal with the buzz?
It’s
easy. I don’t feel a great sense of pressure. I feel
lucky to have won a few awards in my career. When a
group of your peers says you did good, it’s very nice to
be acknowledged.
But I’ve
learned that is not what the business is all about. It’s
not what drives the engine. It’s just the cherry on top
of the pie.
Does it
get easier or harder for you to leave a character like
this on the set?
I’ve
really learned the value of leaving it there. When I
take my coat off on the set, it stays there. It’s not
something I talk about at home. It’s not really healthy. |
