# Halle Berry's career **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2004, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742 "2004-06-11T00:49:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/21 "2004-06-11T18:58:52Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Since he won the Oscar for _Leaving Las Vegas_, Nicolas Cage has appeared in: _Con Air, City of Angels, Snake Eyes, 8MM, Gone in Sixty Seconds, The Family Man, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin_ and _Windtalkers_. All singularly Craptastic. Wow, seeing them listed like that really points up how woeful some of those movies have been. _Gone in 60 Seconds_ is one of the ten worst movies i’ve ever seen. I only rented it as auto porn in the first place, but it barely even had any decent car scenes. Gwyneth Paltrow has also done some utter crap since her Oscar. Of course, i don’t think she deserved the award in the first place :cough: Cate Blanchett in _Elizabeth_ :cough: [slight hijack] What really pisses me off about the whole Oscar thing is the dishonesty with which some movie studios use the award for advertising. Every time there is a commercial for a new film with Ben Affleck, the ad says “Oscar winner Ben Affleck.” Well, yes, he did win an Oscar…for **Best Original Sceenplay**. He has never even been nominated for an acting Oscar, let alone won one. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/22 "2004-06-11T19:00:39Z")
I should add that they do the whole “Oscar winner” thing with Matt Damon too. He, however, has at least been nominated for best actor. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/23 "2004-06-11T19:10:42Z")
> [@JuanitaTech](#): > > Halle Berry isn’t a very good actress. She’s mediocre, at best. And as far as I can tell, that’s it right there. She may look good to a lot of people, but her acting chops are wired shut by mediocrity. Never blame racism when that obvious villain, Humdrum, reigns supreme. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/24 "2004-06-11T19:14:44Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > And as far as I can tell, that’s it right there. She may look good to a lot of people, but her acting chops are wired shut by mediocrity. Never blame racism when that obvious villain, Humdrum, reigns supreme. I agree that she’s not the world’s greatest actor, by any means. I don’t think that changes the fact, however, that there’s a serious lack of good roles–especially leading roles–for black women in cinema. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/25 "2004-06-11T19:28:25Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I agree that she’s not the world’s greatest actor, by any means. > > I don’t think that changes the fact, however, that there’s a serious lack of good roles–especially leading roles–for black women in cinema. While it’s no secret that roles for black women are lacking, an actress like Halle Berry should be able to use her clout to create whatever kind of role she wants. Regardless of color. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/26 "2004-06-11T19:31:49Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I agree that she’s not the world’s greatest actor, by any means. > > I don’t think that changes the fact, however, that there’s a serious lack of good roles–especially leading roles–for black women in cinema. So, do you mean that there is a lack of leading roles designed specifically for black women (i.e., it has to be a black woman or it ruins the character), or that there is a lack of black women in leading roles not necessarily designed to fit a particular ethnicity? Or both? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/27 "2004-06-11T19:35:20Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Every time there is a commercial for a new film with Ben Affleck, the ad says “Oscar winner Ben Affleck.” > > Well, yes, he did win an Oscar…for **Best Original Sceenplay**. > > He has never even been nominated for an acting Oscar, let alone won one. I can’t ever remember seeing Ben Affleck identified as an Oscar winner in a movie ad. I don’t remember Matt Damon being advertised as an Oscar winner either. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/28 "2004-06-11T19:44:31Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I can’t ever remember seeing Ben Affleck identified as an Oscar winner in a movie ad. I don’t remember Matt Damon being advertised as an Oscar winner either. I think he’s talking about video and DVD cases. Because sure enough, the back of my Rounders box touts Academy Award winning Matt Damon! ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/29 "2004-06-11T19:49:52Z")
. I agree that Halle is not a very good actor. Nice to look out, but she’s not versatile. I did not know that she was going to be in _Their Eyes Were Watching God_. She will need a very patient dialect coach, because lord knows she has a hard time with geniune Southern accents (or any accent, for that matter). I still cringe when I see her in _Queen_. “I’s nigra!” indeed. > [@SkipMagic](#): > > So, do you mean that there is a lack of leading roles designed specifically for black women (i.e., it has to be a black woman or it ruins the character), or that there is a lack of black women in leading roles not necessarily designed to fit a particular ethnicity? Or both? There are a ton of black women with strong acting chops, so it’s certainly not that. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/30 "2004-06-11T19:58:34Z")
How about a supporting actress? Kim Basinger Blind Date Nadine My Stepmother is an Alien (with young Willow!) Batman The Marrying Man Final Analysis Cool World The Real McCoy Wayne’s World 2 The Getaway Pret a Porter LA Confidential (wins Oscar!) ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/31 "2004-06-11T20:06:59Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > There are a ton of black women with strong acting chops, so it’s certainly not that. I’m not sure I understand your answer; were you answering the first question I asked, or the second. Or, again, both? Regardless, I agree that there are a lot of black actresses (and actors) whom, I think, deserve to shine a lot brighter than they currently do. And I think that, instead of there being a lack of roles designed specifically for black women, there’s a lack of black women, period, being accepted for the virtually universal generic roles in movies. In Halle Berry’s case, however, I really think the overpowering reason for her not being in good movies is that she pretty much stinks as an actress. (Granted, I never did see _Monster’s Ball_.) Certainly no one went to _Swordfish_ to hear her emote. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/32 "2004-06-11T20:12:20Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > How about a supporting actress? > > Kim Basinger > > Blind Date > Nadine > My Stepmother is an Alien (with young Willow!) > Batman > The Marrying Man > Final Analysis > Cool World > The Real McCoy > Wayne’s World 2 > The Getaway > Pret a Porter > LA Confidential (wins Oscar!) And since then: _I Dreamed of Africa_ and _Bless the Child_. Yeesh. (I did like _8 Mile_ so I won’t count that). ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/33 "2004-06-11T20:17:28Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > So, do you mean that there is a lack of leading roles designed specifically for black women (i.e., it has to be a black woman or it ruins the character), or that there is a lack of black women in leading roles not necessarily designed to fit a particular ethnicity? Or both? I think both. And, on preview, i agree with your most recent post, both about black actors in general, and about Halle Berry in particular. > [@Otto](#): > > I can’t ever remember seeing Ben Affleck identified as an Oscar winner in a movie ad. I don’t remember Matt Damon being advertised as an Oscar winner either. I know i’ve seen TV commmercials use this device. I wish i could think of a specific example, but i can’t right now. I know it happens, though, and my wife will back me up, because every time it does i go into a rant about how Ben Affleck has never won (and will probably never win) a best actor Oscar. Also, away from the TV, i was at the movies a couple of weeks ago, and the poster on the wall for the upcoming movie “The Bourne Supremacy” touted “Oscar-winner Matt Damon” as the star. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/34 "2004-06-11T20:32:43Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > Has there ever been an Oscar Award winning actor whose single great performance was so out of place in a career of otherwise bad movies? Here’s Ms Berry’s last ten movies: _B_A_P_S\* (1997), _Bulworth_ (1998), _Why Do Fools Fall In Love_ (1998), _X-Men_ (2000), _Swordfish_ (2001), _Monster’s Ball_ (2001), _Die Another Day_ (2002), _X2_ (2003), _Gothika_ (2003), and _Catwoman_ (2004). And upcoming works like _X-Men 3_, _Foxy Brown_, _Nappily Ever After_, and _Robots_ aren’t likely to be getting her any new nominations either. Ten movies in seven years (plus TV projects) is a solid career, but what does it say about Berry’s career management when playing the lead in a forgettable horror thriller is her second best role? And if this is the kind of work she’s getting now, when she’s at her peak, what will she be getting offered in ten years? Um, **Nemo** , how many of these movies have you seen? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/35 "2004-06-11T21:31:10Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > While it’s no secret that roles for black women are lacking, an actress like Halle Berry should be able to use her clout to create whatever kind of role she wants. “An actress like Halle Berry” - what the hell does _that_ mean? You think bad actresses who happen to win an Oscar because they’re black have clout? ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/36 "2004-06-11T21:32:32Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > Compare Berry’s career with some of her contemporaries, say Jennifer Connelly, Nicole Kidman, and Naomi Watts. They’ve all made some bad movies, either due to a lack of better choices, poor development, or to collect a big paycheck. But all of them have made at least three or four good movies; enough to show their talent isn’t a fluke. Berry on the other hand seems content to coast along. Halle Berry is already on record (Barbara Walters?) as saying she’s not looking to make great films. Intsead she want to “make lots of money.” I was surprising to hear that response (maybe that honesty), but I don’t it’s unusual. I agree with several of posters. She is drop dead gorgeous and I can’t think of many guys who wouldn’t love to spend several weekends with her. That said, her affect/range is a bit flat. Great bod, tho. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/37 "2004-06-11T21:33:43Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > Halle Berry is already on record (Barbara Walters?) as saying she’s not looking to make great films. Intsead she want to “make lots of money.” I was surprising to hear that response (maybe that honesty), but I don’t it’s unusual. > > I agree with several of posters. She is drop dead gorgeous and I can’t think of many guys who wouldn’t love to spend several weekends with her. That said, her affect/range is a bit flat. Great bod, tho. Let’s see…at least four typos… ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/38 "2004-06-11T21:53:32Z")
I always think of Ben Kingsley when I think of great actors who deservedly won Oscars, but weren’t afraid to ply their trade in some totally craptacular films (“Species” comes to mind, as well as “House of Sand and Fog”, among others). However, Halle is no Kingsley, I’m afraid. I don’t think she’s got a “Gandhi” or a “Sexy Beast” in her. She does have an Oscar, and if she’s smart she’ll use that cachet as much and as often as necessary to make a cool billion before her looks fade. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/39 "2004-06-11T22:17:16Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > “An actress like Halle Berry” - what the hell does _that_ mean? You think bad actresses who happen to win an Oscar because they’re black have clout? Jesus Christ, calm down. Is this better? “An actress who is extremely popular, like Halle Berry…” I didn’t think people were looking that hard for racism in everything… :mad: ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742/40 "2004-06-11T22:34:36Z")
I’ll agree with **Otto** - Oscar-winning actors have been known to take less-than-spectacular film roles. **Ray Milland** comes to mind. Look at some of his later films - “Frogs” and “Incredible 2 Headed Transplant”. I don’t think he needed the money for these. I think he just wanted to work. However, besides racism in Hollywood there’s also “age-ism”. When Ray Milland made these films, he was in his later years and so there were no Hollywood executives breaking down his door to hand out good film roles. Some time ago another “Doper” mentioned a very good example of an Oscar-winner not necessarily going on to a great career - Louise Fletcher. So, sometimes an Oscar does not guarantee cinematic success. And **Carnac** expressed it quite eloquently when he said - “Halle Berry is drop-dead gorgeous”, with which I agree 100%. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halle-berrys-career/249742.md?page=3)