Halle Berry has expressed her disappointment and sadness that no other Black woman has won the Academy Award for Best Actress since her historic win in 2002 for her performance in Monster's Ball.
In an interview with Marie Claire, Berry candidly shared her feelings about the lack of representation, saying: "I'm still eternally miffed that no Black woman has come behind me for that best actress Oscar. I'm continually saddened by that year after year. And it's certainly not because there has been nobody deserving."
Berry has previously highlighted the Oscar-worthy performances of Black women like Andra Day in The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Cynthia Erivo in Harriet, and Ruth Negga in Loving, noting: "I thought there were women that rightfully, arguably, could have, should have. I hoped they would have, but why it hasn’t gone that way, I don’t have the answer."
Berry reflected on her own win, saying: "The morning after, I thought, 'Wow, I was chosen to open a door.' And then, to have no one … I question, 'Was that an important moment, or was it just an important moment for me?' I wanted to believe it was so much bigger than me."
She added, "It felt so much bigger than me, mainly because I knew others should have been there before me and they weren’t…just because I won an award doesn’t mean that, magically, the next day, there was a place for me. I was just continuing to forge a way out of no way."