Dust-Up Over an Oscar Role

A tearful, overwhelmed Halle Berry declared, “This moment is so much bigger than me” when she became the first African American to win a best actress Oscar. The triumph was not hers alone, she said, but belonged to past and current black actresses who have struggled in Hollywood.

More than three months later, Berry’s words still ring true--but in a way she likely did not anticipate.

Caustic remarks by Angela Bassett in the July 1 issue of Newsweek, in which she criticizes the sexual nature of Berry’s Oscar-winning role in “Monster’s Ball” while subtly questioning Berry’s choice in taking on the part, has reignited a fierce debate inside and outside the African American entertainment community about Berry and the bittersweet significance of her victory.

From the set of Showtime’s urban drama “Soul Food” in Toronto, to the tables of the Starbucks cafe in South-Central Los Angeles, quiet discussions and heated arguments erupted last week surrounding Bassett’s remarks and Berry’s portrayal of a downtrodden mother and waitress who finds sexual release and romantic comfort in the arms of a white prison guard who she is unaware has helped put her husband to death in the electric chair.

As for Bassett, the lightning rod for many African Americans concerns that relationship, which is solidified by explicit sex scenes between Berry and Billy Bob Thornton, whose character is initially shown as a racist.

Said Felicia D. Henderson, executive producer of “Soul Food”: “After all this time has past, so many want to stand up and applaud Halle. But others say, ‘Isn’t it sad that she had to be the sexual object of a white man? It shows that it’s a man world, with sexism and racism.’ ”

Some performers have accused Newsweek and other media outlets of attempting to spark a feud between two of the industry’s top black actresses. Vanessa Williams, one of the stars of “Soul Food,” said, “These sisters love each other. It’s so annoying that the media would make this into something divisive. Why would the media try to tear a sister down?”

But others attribute the discourse to the continuing uneasy, mixed reactions of African Americans toward “Monster’s Ball” that have surrounded the film since its release late last year. The continuing sensitivity over the role has cast an unexpected shadow over Berry’s accomplishment.

“This has been a no-win for Halle Berry,” said Lee Bailey, publisher and executive producer of the Electronic Urban Report, a Web site linked to the “Radioscope” entertainment program. “She is still getting flak from black folks. It’s overwhelmed her historic achievement. The role is still a source of irritation. And it’s wrong. There’s a lot of hatin’ going on.”

Producer-director Roy Campanella II said, “I felt Halle delivered a brilliant, exceptionally fine performance. She deserved the honor. Unfortunately, to have a discussion of ‘Monster’s Ball’ is to look at what it says about the racial psyche. And that’s been associated with her. She’s not the issue. But she’s becoming the issue.”

Campanella, who is developing an ABC movie on singing legend Lena Horne, added that he felt the material in “Monster’s Ball” “associates a level of animalistic sexuality to black women in a manner that could easily be seen as demeaning. I believe Angela has a valid point.”

In the Newsweek interview, Bassett--one of the actresses Berry praised in her Oscar acceptance speech--says she had turned down the lead in “Monster’s Ball” because she found the relationship between the two characters demeaning.

“I wasn’t going to be a prostitute on film,” she says. “I couldn’t do that because it’s such a stereotype about black women and sexuality.” Although she emphasized she was not criticizing Berry, she appeared to contradict herself in adding, “Film is forever. It’s about putting something out there you can be proud of 10 years later. I mean, Meryl Streep won Oscars without all that.”

Later in the article, Bassett said she loved Berry’s performance. She also said, “I would love to have an Oscar. But it has to be for something I can sleep with at night.”

Response was swift.

Actress Vivica Fox said in an “Access Hollywood” interview last week that Berry saw the role as an opportunity “to shine,” acknowledging that all actresses may not agree with the choice: “Don’t be trippin’ on Halle! Halle got it down! OK, don’t hate! Congratulate Halle!”

Syndicated columnist Liz Smith said Bassett’s comments came across as “sour grapes.” Cultural experts weighed in on talk shows such as Tavis Smiley’s program on National Public Radio. Bassett was accused of being jealous of Berry because her career has not blossomed as much as she anticipated.

The issue provoked vibrant talk at community hangouts such as Starbucks and Eso-Won Books in Baldwin Hills.

Ronald Atwine, a mental-health worker and substance abuse counselor, said while sipping coffee at Starbucks that some viewers had difficulty with the explicit sex scenes: “People still have difficulty seeing interracial relations on screen.”

Even so, he respected Berry’s choice. “I respect her for the person she is and how she’s portrayed herself in the media and on talk shows. She had a chance to read the script, so she knew what was in it before she accepted it. It’s her right to do the part, and I have to love her for it.”

The furor closely mirrors the sentiment that broke out when Hattie McDaniel became the first African American performer to win an Oscar in 1940 for her portrayal as the O’Hara family’s beloved Mammy in “Gone With the Wind.”

Although her breakthrough was celebrated, McDaniel was also criticized by the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People for the stereotyped role.

Fueling the current debate is Bassett’s contention that she turned down the female lead in “Monster’s Ball.” Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate Films, which produced the movie, said Bassett was never offered the role.

“Nobody was ever offered the role of Leticia except Halle Berry,” he said. “Anyone who says anything to the contrary is misspeaking.”

For now, Berry is not responding to Bassett or anyone else about the furor. “There is nothing I need to add to that,” she said Friday.

A spokesperson for Bassett on Friday said, “Angela supports Halle 1,000%, and her comments were about her choices and her preferences, and not Halle’s.”

Still, the debate is likely to continue for a while. Malinda Williams, another of the stars of “Soul Food,” the only drama on television to feature a predominantly black cast, said the continuing dispute over Berry is because of all “the pent-up emotion” and frustration built up during decades of African Americans being overlooked for Oscars.

“This has been building inside us for so long, and it’s very heated,” she said. “This has forced us to say, ‘How do we feel about this? What choices do we have?’ It’s really created a dialogue. All of us on the set have sat around talking about this, and we all have differing opinions.”

She added that she felt too much attention had been focused on the “Monster’s Ball” sex scenes. “So Halle did a sex scene. What’s so shocking about that is beyond me. One person is more comfortable with showing their sexuality than another. Things like this go on every day.

Nicole Gibson, another “Soul Food” star, called Berry’s performance “a stunning example of focus and drive. It should inspire dialogue. And it should inspire action as well, for performers to put energy into projects they are proud of.”

Ortenberg said what Bassett really illuminated was the lack of great roles for women, particularly women of color.

He said the discussion about Berry continues because “she played a character with faults. Her character is very real, and her choices hit close to home. It provokes a level of discomfort. Halle is to be applauded [for] the fact that she made this role so much her own that she can provoke that kind of passion.”

Ironically, several observers have pointed out that while Berry has been the subject of controversy, relatively little negative attention has been leveled at Denzel Washington, who won a best actor Oscar for his role as a corrupt, malicious cop in “Training Day.”

Washington was the first black performer to win the best actor Oscar since Sidney Poitier won it in 1963.

While Berry’s character demonstrates grief, compassion and love, Washington’s character has few redeeming qualities. He murders a friend, steals money, dabbles in narcotics, sets up his partner, has an illegitimate child and terrorizes almost all who come into contact with him.

One customer at Eso Wan, David E. Fossett of Los Angeles, a contestant coordinator for game shows, suggested those criticizing Berry should take a harder look at Washington.

“Denzel’s role was demeaning too, to African Americans and cops. But men have it easier. We can get away with a lot. And Denzel, he has such a reputation of being like a Sidney Poitier.”

Added Lee Bailey: “There’s definitely a double standard. It involves sexuality. Women can’t engage in that without being whores

“Halle is in a class by herself. She is an outrageously beautiful woman who is getting over. People are jealous of that.”

Lorraine Toussaint, one of the stars of Lifetime’s “Any Day Now,” said she hoped the controversy and the furor over Bassett and Berry would soon dissipate.

“These are two of Hollywood’s elite,” said Toussaint, who is joining the cast of NBC’s “Crossing Jordan” this season. “We can’t afford to waste time and energy on this. My thought is that a step forward by one is a step forward for all. To think anything else is a waste of time.”