Two decades later, Halle Berry is looking back at her DC solo outing and what went wrong.
The Academy Award winner reflected on 2004’s Catwoman for the movie’s 20th anniversary, explaining why she “went along with” the movie’s low-stakes plot without objections.
“I always thought the idea of Catwoman saving women from a face cream felt a bit soft,” Berry told Entertainment Weekly. “All the other superheroes save the world; they don’t just save women from cracked faces. I always knew that was a soft superhero plight, but at that time in my career, I didn’t have the agency I have today or belief that I could challenge that, so I went along with it.”
Directed by Pitof, Catwoman starred Berry as Patience Phillips, a graphic designer who discovers a conspiracy at the cosmetic company where she works to cover up widespread health problems caused by a new product.
After being murdered by the conspirators, Patience is resurrected by an Egyptian mau cat that grants her cat-like abilities, allowing her to go up against the company owner’s wife Laurel (Sharon Stone).
Sharon Stone and Halle Berry in Catwoman (2004). (Warner Brothers/Courtesy Everett Collection)
Catwoman ultimately made $82 million worldwide against a $100 million budget, in addition to winning Razzie Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Director and Worst Screenplay.
“I didn’t love [the backlash],” said Berry. “Being a Black woman, I’m used to carrying negativity on my back, fighting, being a fish swimming upstream by myself. I’m used to defying stereotypes and making a way out of no way. I didn’t want to be casual about it, but I went and collected that Razzie, laughed at myself, and kept it moving. It didn’t derail me because I’ve fought as a Black woman my whole life. A little bad publicity about a movie? I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t going to stop my world or derail me from doing what I love to do.”
Berry said the studio “knew what I was going to do” at the satirical awards show. “I told them I wanted to take the piss out of it and laugh at it,” she said.
“I don’t think it’s a God-awful film, but I was at the Razzies, so I had to do what they do; I s— on it because they s— on it!” Berry recalled. “I wrote [that speech] within an inch of my life. I put a lot of thought into how I could do it in a fun way and let everyone know I didn’t take it that seriously. You can never take away my Oscar, no matter how bad you bash me! If you say I earned it, I’ll take this, too.”