Halle Berry on being the only Black woman to win Best Actress Oscar: “The system is not designed for us”

nme.com:

Halle Berry has opened up about being the only Black woman to win the Best Actress Oscar in the history of the Academy Awards.In the new Apple TV+ documentary, Number One On The Call Sheet, Berry opens up about what happened since she won the Best Actress Oscar in 2002 for her role in Monsters Ball.

Since her win, no other Black women have won the award.“It’s forced me to ask myself, did it matter?” Berry says in the show (via The Hollywood Reporter). “Did it really change anything for women of colour?

For my sisters? For our journey?”The documentary explores the 13 Black women who have been nominated for the award since Berry’s win, but who have failed to take home the award.Opening up about the chances of a Black woman winning the award previously, Berry said: “A few years ago, I was at the table with Andra Day, and I was across the room from Viola Davis, and they were both nominated for stellar performances [Day for The United States vs.

Billie Holiday and Davis for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom], and I felt 100 per cent sure that this was the year one of them was gonna walk away with this award.