HALLE BARRY

I THINK THAT HAS COME WITH TURNING 40 – JUST GETTING OLDER I’VE BECOME REALLY COMFORTABLE WITH MY SEXUALITY AND MAKING NO EXCUSES FOR IT ANYMORE. HINK HALLE BERRY LOOKS GREAT UP ON THE big screen? You ain’t seen nothing until you’ve sat right next to the still-stunning siren in the intimate confines of a hotel room suite, with her warm doe eyes locked onto yours like a laser-guided heat-seeking missile. Your pulse races, your heart pounds and, if the woman is so bold as to reach out to stroke the hair on your chinny-chin-chin... well, just be thankful there’s a tablecloth there to disguise your excitement. Sure, Berry is rich and famous, with an Oscar, an Emmy and a new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, yet she remains eminently approachable (if not downright flirtatious) as she enters her 40s, with none of the attitude you might expect from a star of her stature. Berry uses her sexuality to her advantage in her latest film, Perfect Stranger, in which she stars as a journalist who goes undercover in a variety of guises to uncover the truth about a giant in the advertising industry (played by Bruce Willis). Director James Foley’s (At Close Range, Glengarry Glen Ross) camera lingers long and lovingly on Halle’s lithe form, and though the film itself is flawed, Berry proves herself to be in sweet shape both physically and as an actress. We recently had the chance to talk with her about playing crackheads, kiss ing the Walk of Fame and how she’s bringing sexy back. In this movie, someone asks your character, “What is it about powerful women and shitty men?” As someone who has experienced the turbulent ups and downs of loving someone who’s not good for you, how would you answer that question? ( Laughs) I wish I knew, because the course of my life would be different if I knew the answer to that question before the age of 40. What was it that initially attracted you to this project?

I love a character that gives me a chance to grow and do something different, and Rowena was so multifaceted. I never played a character that played a character who played a character before. That gave me a chance, as an artist, to stretch my limits and challenge myself. When I read the movie and I got to the end, I thought, “Wow! I don’t know how I’m going to pull this off, but if I can’t then at least I’m going to go down trying.” That’s how impassioned I was about it. This film really makes the most of your physical beauty, which you seemed determined to down play in films such as Monster’s Ball and Gothika. Are you more confident now with playing overtly sexy roles?

I think that has come with turning 40– just getting older I’ve become really comfortable with my sexuality and making no excuses for it anymore. It’s part of being a woman, part of what empowers us when we’re smart enough to know how to use it, and the character of Rowena certainly knew how to use it. So I think I’ve been learning as I’ve gotten older to become more comfortable with that side of who I am. In the beginning, I used to have to downplay it because I wanted to be taken so seriously as a thespian, as an artist and as an actor, so I’d play crackheads and other downtrodden women and disguise myself. But I think as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more comfortable with who I really am and all parts of me, knowing that my physical self doesn’t diminish me or my talent in any way. How did getting your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame recently compare to winning the Oscar in terms of major events in your career? That image of you kissing it was pretty classic.

Yeah, then somebody reminded me that it was frequented by crackheads and drug addicts, but that was just a spontaneous thing. I felt so proud of it and that’s what I wanted to do, so that’s what I did. It was another profound moment in my career. After Oscar, I wasn’t so sure I would ever have another one, and I was surprised that I found myself standing up there on the verge of tears because I’m an emotional train-wreck. So I found myself really moved, feeling proud and knowing that while it seemed like a simple star in the ground, it also represented Hollywood history and the fact that I was a part of it. Not to mention the fact that my star is right in the entrance of the Kodak Theatre, which is a piece of prime real estate, so it wasn’t a bad day. A lot of critics have questioned your seemingly erratic choices in projects since winning the Oscar. What energizes me about my career is that factor of daring to take a risk that nobody thinks or expects you to do, but you do it anyway. The only way you win big is to risk big. You don’t win big by taking safe bets, but by risking big, because when you risk big that means you’re doing something that’s innovative, and that hasn’t been done before. I mean, Monster’s Ball was a risk! I thought that sex scene could end my career, and I remember thinking, “Oh my God, if people don’t get this, this could be like my Showgirls!” But I believed in the project enough to take the risk. Do you ever regret some of the high-profile bombs, like Catwoman?

You can’t be too careful about what you pick, because what looks on paper like it’s going to be a great script has often turned out to be a disaster. There’s no way to know what’s going to work. If you put that kind of pressure on yourself, I don’t think anybody would ever work because you never know for sure if it’s going to be good. With Catwoman, I thought, “If this doesn’t work this could be bad, but if it works it could be great, and what it could do for women in film is bigger than my fear of that risk.” What’s the worst that can happen? If it doesn’t do well, I can put on my big girl panties, deal with it and move on. Do you get more validation from what critics think or the response from fans? Fans, definitely. A lot of people liked Catwoman. You’d be surprised how many people, especially young girls, came up and told me they really liked it. I try to focus on the positive things, so the validation is really from the fans because that’s who we make movies for. I think it’s our job to offer them a variety, and to do different kinds of things. I know that every time, for good or for bad, I give 100% of what I have to give and I make choices based on what’s happening in my life at that moment. Sometimes it’s for personal reasons, and sometimes for the art of it. Knowing that I make decisions from the right place, I can live with that at night, no matter what the outcome of the project. Is it tough for you, knowing that critics and fans watch you so closely, judging your every move?

Not to get too spiritual, but I feel really lucky and blessed that I get to have this career, to make a living doing something that just feels like play and silliness. I think it’s important to give back, and I know many people resist being a role model. I hear other actors say, “I’m not a role model,” and that parents are your real role models. In a perfect world, that would be great, but that’s just not the reality. Kids look to people that they can identify with, and I’ve always taken that responsibility seriously. I take it to heart the best I can and try to do things because I know they’re watching, but I try not to let that compromise my sense of being who I am at the same time. I try to teach kids the best thing to do is to be authentic with who you are. What can you tell us about your forthcoming project with Benicio Del Toro, Things We Lost in the Fire?

It’s a small movie that deals with love and loss, and it’s very different in the sense that while Perfect Stranger is designed to be a crowd-pleasing whodunit, this is a slice-of-life movie that has taken the festival route. From and Emmy and an Oscar to the Walk of Fame star, you’ve accomplished an awful lot already in your life. Are there any major goals you’ve yet to accomplish?

I want to be a mother, and that feels really important. My career is one thing, and I think I’ve gotten a lot out of that and made the most of my opportunities. But I’m starting to feel like I need something more meaningful to wake me up in the morning, and it’s feeling very much like it’s family and children. You’ve been through a lot of struggles in your life and career, but you seem happier and more fulfilled than ever. To what would you attribute that happiness?

I’m just in a really good space in my life, and I can honestly say it’s not because of anything in particular. It’s not because I have a really cute boyfriend now. It’s not because my career is in a good place. It’s because I feel good about me and, if any one of those things should dissipate, I’d still be happy. That feels like a really good place to finally have arrived to. You obviously still look amazing, but how did it feel to hit that 40-year-old milestone?

It was really magical because I felt like I had the right say what I wanted to say and not accept what I didn’t want to accept. I felt more self-assured and more confident, and I felt like half my life is probably over now and thus I have the right to really be authentically who I want to be. I was getting there slowly but surely when I turned 35, but at 40, in a real way, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Do people really care? Nobody goes home really pondering what Halle Berry did or said! (Laughs) FILM INTERVIEW Halle Berry T BY BRET LOVE 40 & Fine