Halle Berry opened up about her turn playing Catwoman and the backlash to her version of the iconic antihero in a new interview.
If you forgot, the actress played the character in a 2004 standalone movie, taking over a role that had been previously played by the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer.
The movie failed at the box office and garnered negative reviews, resulting in Halle receiving a Razzie Award for Worst Actress.
In a 20-year retrospective, Halle shared her thoughts on the movie’s bad reviews and how she shouldered the brunt of the negativity. She even shared her thoughts on other women playing the role over the years.
Keep reading to find out more…
Speaking to EW, Halle noted that her movie started to spark concern amongst fans after they saw her costume on set.
“Fans were upset about the suit. It was something different, but in our minds, why keep remaking Catwoman if you’re not going to take risks and bring something different to it? The beauty was that it was better suited for my version of her, my body, who I was, and my sensibilities,” she explained.
The actress had some reservations about the script. However, she had a wonderful time on set by the sounds of it.
“I always thought the idea of Catwoman saving women from a face cream felt a bit soft,” she said. “All the other superheroes save the world; they don’t just save women from cracked faces. I always knew that was a soft superhero plight, but at that time in my career, I didn’t have the agency I have today or belief that I could challenge that, so I went along with it.”
After the movie underperformed, Halle said that it felt like her personal failure, adding that she’s “carried it” for years.
“I didn’t love [the backlash]. Being a Black woman, I’m used to carrying negativity on my back, fighting, being a fish swimming upstream by myself. I’m used to defying stereotypes and making a way out of no way. I didn’t want to be casual about it, but I went and collected that Razzie, laughed at myself, and kept it moving. It didn’t derail me because I’ve fought as a Black woman my whole life. A little bad publicity about a movie? I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t going to stop my world or derail me from doing what I love to do,” she added on the topic.
How does Halle feel about other women taking over the role? She welcomes it!
“I love when I see any woman’s version of what Catwoman is to them. Like men who play Batman or Spider-Man, we’re in a group all our own, and I admire every version I see. I loved Zoë Kravitz’s version; I always smile at that. It makes me happy. I don’t feel there’s any competition. We all have our version of this iconic character,” she said.
Halle recently weighed in on another modern interpretation of Catwoman.
