Halle Berry Is 'Tired' of Being the Only Black Best Actress Oscar Winner, Wants Someone to 'Stand Next to Me' This Year

Mar. 15, 2025

Halle Berry.Photo:Presley Ann/Getty

Presley Ann/Getty

Halle Berryis hoping to celebrate another Black actress winning the Oscar.TheMoonfallstar — who became thefirst Black actress to win an Oscarin the Best Actress category at the Academy Awards for her role in 2002Monster’s Ball— shared onTrevor Noah’sWhat Now?podcast that she is “tired” of being the only Black actress to have won the honor.“I hope this year someone stands next to me,” said Berry, 58. “This year, I hope it happens because I’m tired of occupying that space alone.”Cynthia Erivois the only Black actress who earned aBest Actress nominationat this year’s Academy Awards for her performance as Elphaba inWicked. Other nominees include Mikey Madison forAnora,Demi MooreforThe Substance, Fernanda Torres forI’m Still Hereand Karla Sofía Gascón forEmilia Pérez.Cynthia Erivo at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards.David Fisher/ShutterstockBerry also reflected on her own history-making Oscars win on theWhat Now?podcast, noting that she felt she was “chosen” to “open that door” at the time.“I knew it was bigger than me,” she said of her win. “I was, in that moment, [destined] to be a beacon of possibility. And I do think it served that purpose.”TheCatwomanactress also noted that it didn’t come easy and she had to work hard to earn it. She said she has “always known” her own “value” and that has helped propel her to go on to succeed.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.“Being born a Black woman, I feel like I have always felt like I sat at the bottom of society,” Berry explained.Best Actress winner Halle Berry holds her Oscar statuete backstage at the 74th Annual Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Ca., March 24, 2002.Frank Micelotta/Getty"White man, Black man, white woman, Black woman,” she continued. “So I’ve always felt at the bottom, never feeling like I was defeated because I was at the bottom, never feeling like I couldn’t dream big because I was at the bottom, never feeling like I wasn’t worthy or capable because I was at the bottom. But I always have known that I’m going to have to work 10 times harder than everybody else to get anywhere.“Berry has previously discussed the challenges she’s faced as an actress — even after her history-making Oscar win. In 2021, she shared withEntertainment Weeklythat the win didn’t change her career in the way she expected.“It was surprising, because I thought they were going to just back up the truck and drop them off at my house, right?” Berry said of winning Hollywood’s top prize but not getting an influx of offers after.“When you have a historic win like that, you think, ‘Oh, this is going to fundamentally change,'” she continued. “It did fundamentally change me, butit didn’t change my place in the businessovernight. I still had to go back to work. I still had to try to fight to make a way out of no way.”

Halle Berryis hoping to celebrate another Black actress winning the Oscar.

TheMoonfallstar — who became thefirst Black actress to win an Oscarin the Best Actress category at the Academy Awards for her role in 2002Monster’s Ball— shared onTrevor Noah’sWhat Now?podcast that she is “tired” of being the only Black actress to have won the honor.

“I hope this year someone stands next to me,” said Berry, 58. “This year, I hope it happens because I’m tired of occupying that space alone.”

Cynthia Erivois the only Black actress who earned aBest Actress nominationat this year’s Academy Awards for her performance as Elphaba inWicked. Other nominees include Mikey Madison forAnora,Demi MooreforThe Substance, Fernanda Torres forI’m Still Hereand Karla Sofía Gascón forEmilia Pérez.

Cynthia Erivo at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards.David Fisher/Shutterstock

David Fisher/Shutterstock

Berry also reflected on her own history-making Oscars win on theWhat Now?podcast, noting that she felt she was “chosen” to “open that door” at the time.

“I knew it was bigger than me,” she said of her win. “I was, in that moment, [destined] to be a beacon of possibility. And I do think it served that purpose.”

TheCatwomanactress also noted that it didn’t come easy and she had to work hard to earn it. She said she has “always known” her own “value” and that has helped propel her to go on to succeed.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

“Being born a Black woman, I feel like I have always felt like I sat at the bottom of society,” Berry explained.

Best Actress winner Halle Berry holds her Oscar statuete backstage at the 74th Annual Academy Awards held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Ca., March 24, 2002.Frank Micelotta/Getty

Frank Micelotta/Getty

“White man, Black man, white woman, Black woman,” she continued. “So I’ve always felt at the bottom, never feeling like I was defeated because I was at the bottom, never feeling like I couldn’t dream big because I was at the bottom, never feeling like I wasn’t worthy or capable because I was at the bottom. But I always have known that I’m going to have to work 10 times harder than everybody else to get anywhere.”

Berry has previously discussed the challenges she’s faced as an actress — even after her history-making Oscar win. In 2021, she shared withEntertainment Weeklythat the win didn’t change her career in the way she expected.

“It was surprising, because I thought they were going to just back up the truck and drop them off at my house, right?” Berry said of winning Hollywood’s top prize but not getting an influx of offers after.

“When you have a historic win like that, you think, ‘Oh, this is going to fundamentally change,'” she continued. “It did fundamentally change me, butit didn’t change my place in the businessovernight. I still had to go back to work. I still had to try to fight to make a way out of no way.”

source: people.com