Hollywood star Halle Berry is growing increasingly frustrated that, more than two decades after her historic win, no other Black woman has taken home the Oscar for Best Actress. She wants that to change—and soon. “Being born a Black woman, I feel like I have always felt like I sat at the bottom of society,” she shared during her appearance on comedian Trevor Noah’s What Now? podcast.
“White man, Black man, white woman, Black woman. 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,” she added.
Through relentless hard work and immense talent, Halle became the first Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002. But after more than two decades, she remains the only one. “I hope this year someone stands next to me. I hope it happens because I’m tired of occupying that space alone,” she said.
Speaking to Trevor, she reflected on what her Oscar win meant. “I was chosen to open that door. I knew it was bigger than me. Right? But even if it’s not, I was chosen in that moment to be a beacon of possibility. And I do think it served that purpose.”
Since Halle’s historic win, six Black women have been nominated for Best Actress a total of eight times: Andra Day, Gabourey Sidibe, Quvenzhané Wallis, Ruth Negga, Viola Davis (who received two nominations), and Cynthia Erivo (also a two-time nominee). In the 96 years the Academy has handed out the Best Actress award, only one other woman of colour has won—Michelle Yeoh, for Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2022.
This year, Cynthia is nominated once again, this time for her portrayal of Elphaba Thropp in the film adaptation of Wicked. She was previously recognised in 2019 for her role as Harriet Tubman in Harriet. Joining her in the category are Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres and Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón, who has stopped campaigning following backlash over resurfaced social media posts containing racist and Islamophobic remarks. Karla’s co-star, Zoe Saldaña, is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film Emilia Perez.
