Halle Berry Takes AFI Film Festival By Storm

The American Film Institute’s annual film festival has taken over the heart of Hollywood over the past few days with screenings on six screens at Mann’s Chinese Theatre and major events at the main auditorium at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Tonight the film festival hosted a very special guest, Halle Berry, who appeared this evening to talk about acting, her career and several characters she has played.

Having played such a wide range of characters over the past 12 years, Halle had plenty of material from which to draw. One of the first things she said is that she is attracted to roles that challenge her and help her to continue to develop as an actress. For example, they showed a clip from the film, Losing Isaiah, and Halle explained that her character was a crack addict who threw her baby into a dumpster. The baby was later adopted out and the story is about her fighting for her rights to have the child back. Her character realizes after gaining parental rights that she was not the best mother, so she did what was best for the baby and allowed the couple to raise the child.

She was asked about what attracts her to specific characters and Halle responded that she tends to gravitate towards characters who have great difficulties to overcome yet refuse to take on the role of victim. They rise above that mindset of victimization and find hope. Halle also mentioned that one of her strongest influences was Warren Beatty, who early in her career mentored her as a director and producer as they worked on the film Bullworth. He told her that if there is something that you really love, don’t wait for Hollywood to give it to you, go out and grab the bull by the horns and make it happen.

Halle Berry won a Golden Globe Award and garnered critical acclaim for her work in the film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. She had some interesting experiences while working on that film that almost made her believe in ghosts. Halle told a couple of ghost stories followed by a heartfelt homage to Dorothy Dandridge, who she looks to as a trailblazer for African-American women in the entertainment industry. That and other anecdotes demonstrated that Halle Berry consistently acknowledges others who have inspired her, believed in her and encouraged her. She certainly is generous with her compliments and has a modesty and humility that is refreshing.