Halle Berry Questions Legacy as Only Black Best Actress Oscar Winner

LOS ANGELES, CA — Halle Berry is reflecting on her historic achievement as the first and only Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in the nearly 100-year history of the Oscars. In the Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Women in Hollywood, Berry questions the impact of her 2002 victory for her role in Monster's Ball and its significance for women of color in the film industry.

“It’s forced me to ask myself, did it matter? Did it really change anything for women of color? For my sisters? For our journey?” Berry asks in the documentary.

The film presents a montage of Black actresses who have been nominated for the prestigious Best Actress award but lost to white actresses. A total of 13 Black actresses have been nominated in this category; among them, Cynthia Erivo received nominations for her performances in Harriet and Wicked. This year, Erivo lost to Mikey Madison, who won for her role in Anora.

Berry reflected on the 2021 Oscars, where she believed there was a strong chance that either Viola Davis or Andra Day would take home the award. Both actresses had been nominated that year for their stellar performances in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The United States vs. Billie Holiday respectively. “I felt 100 percent sure that this was the year one of them was gonna walk away with this award,” she said. “For equally different and beautiful reasons, they both deserved it, and I thought for sure.” Yet, Frances McDormand ultimately won her third Oscar for Nomadland.

Berry emphasized the systemic challenges within the industry, stating, “The system is not really designed for us, and so we have to stop coveting that which is not for us. Because at the end of the day, it’s ‘How do we touch the lives of people?’ and that fundamentally is what art is for.”

Other prominent Black actresses, such as Taraji P. Henson and Whoopi Goldberg, also featured in the documentary, voicing similar frustrations regarding representation in Hollywood. Goldberg questioned the absence of Black winners, asking, “Wait a minute, none of us were good enough? Nobody? In all of these people, nobody? What are we missing here? This is a conversation people have every year.” Henson theorized about the industry’s perception of Black actresses: “I don’t think the industry really sees us as leads, you know? They give us supporting [actress awards] like they give out candy canes. That just — I don’t know what to do with that. Because what are you saying to me?”

As the film addresses the ongoing disparities and challenges faced by Black actresses in Hollywood, it underscores the need for systemic change in a historically exclusive industry.