Much has happened in her life and career since – both good and bad – but the authenticity and emotional depth she showed that night have stayed with her. Now 58, she speaks with disarming honesty and self-awareness about the highs and lows of her journey, blending irony with an irrepressible sense of joy. Her words reflect the strength of someone who remained grounded in success and resilient through adversity.

SETTE: You are constantly praised for your radiant appearance. Was that never a reason to get carried away?

Halle Berry: No. What matters more to me is who I am on the inside. My appearance is not the focus. That has always been my approach to life, and it’s something I try to pass on to others. It helps me avoid falling into vanity.

In your roles, you often show the courage to appear without glamour, such as in the horror film ‘Never Let Go’, where you play an obsessive mother. Does this character have anything in common with you?

Whenever I play a mother, there is always something of myself in the role. I understand how these women think. I know that passionate love and intense instinct to protect from my own experience. My character in the film battles inner demons, which made the role very difficult. But I also wanted to show that no matter how troubled a woman’s mental state is, a mother’s love is always there. It never disappears. If it turns dark or obsessive, it’s only because the circumstances are so extreme.

Do roles like that stay with you? Do you bring those traits home?

I stopped working that way over 30 years ago. When I did ‘Jungle Fever’, I went into crack houses and stopped taking care of my hygiene. But that doesn’t work. Bringing characters home was unhealthy for me and my relationships. And I never wanted my children to be exposed to that. They need to feel safe with you. They need to see your true self. Real life is more important than films. Yes, movies are fun, but nothing compares to reality. That’s why I leave my characters on set.

I learned that you don’t have to suffer personally to play a role well. I love taking off my makeup at the end of the day and relaxing with a glass of wine. That’s the best part of a tough shoot.

You became a mother for the first time in 2008. Was that something you always wanted?

Absolutely. I always wanted children. Right before I became pregnant with Nahla, I worked on a film with kids, and being around them felt so natural. I clearly had maternal instincts. I knew then that it was something I wanted in my life, that it was part of my purpose. I even thought, ‘It will be amazing one day when I have grandchildren who say, “Wow, look at the cool roles our grandma played.”’

Did it turn out the way you imagined? Your children are now 16 and 11.

People warned me: ‘It won’t always be easy.’ And I know kids can get on your nerves. There are moments when you say, ‘Please stop making noise.’ But my love for them is unconditional. As a mother, I had to learn so much and often felt like I was just getting started. But I always followed one principle: every time you are impatient or harsh with your child, it can leave wounds that never fully heal. As a parent, you have an enormous responsibility, and I wanted to honour that.

Your romantic life hasn’t always gone smoothly. You’ve been through three divorces.

Yes, but I believe in destiny. Everything that happens is meant to be. I made mistakes, but I learned the most from those moments. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

Things now seem to be going well with your boyfriend Van Hunt. Are you happy?

Absolutely. But I’m a naturally happy person. Even when things go wrong, I know that those low points help me grow. Right now, things are looking up, and that feels pretty good.

Where does your positive outlook come from? You had a difficult childhood and faced racism.

My mother instilled that mindset in me. She gave me the best she could, sent me to a great school, and always supported me. We all come from the same place. Appearances don’t matter; only what’s inside counts. That’s how I live my life.

Did you ever doubt that you could have a happy relationship?

Everyone has their own purpose in life. Mine is to figure out how to make a relationship work and find the right balance. I have struggled and made mistakes, but even in the worst times, I believed I could do it.

Why did you never lose that belief?

I believe there is something greater out there, something beyond all of us. That spiritual belief gives me security. I trust that everything has meaning for me. That’s why I have no regrets. It was all meant to be. I know there will be more low points, but that’s part of my story. I have complete faith in this process we call life.

Really?

Yes. I know that painful experiences help me grow. And I also know that sometimes you have to let go of things when they no longer make sense in your life. If you have the courage to do that, life gets better. I have done that many times – with relationships, even with a beloved cat I had to put down because of a tumour.

But not everyone can maintain that kind of calm perspective.

I have learned to free myself from the opinions of others. Only my own standards matter. I need to be at peace with myself, no one else. Maybe it helps that I’m a Leo. I always try to do what feels right in the moment. That is something I’ve come to understand over the years.

Have you ever been afraid in your life?

Once, someone broke into my house while I was home. I ran to the top floor and squeezed into a tiny space next to the cat litter box. I was so scared I twisted my body to fit into the space. From there, I called the police. Later they played back the recording, and I didn’t recognise my own voice. I was talking non-stop and sounded completely panicked. The police came, but it was really hard to get out of that space once I calmed down. I had managed it in panic mode. That was the scariest experience of my life.

What about bad reviews? Do you fear those?

Not at all. I have no control over that, just like I have no control over box office numbers. My job is to work hard and stay professional. Over the years, I’ve learned that life is full of highs and lows. I try to enjoy the good times, knowing they won’t last forever, because another valley will come. That’s life. And I deal with each challenge as it comes. In the end, everything is guided by a greater force. I’m here to experience it all. And I trust the process we call life.

Winning the Oscar in 2002 must have reinforced that trust.

It’s a myth that winning an Oscar leads to more opportunities. People think the ‘Oscar fairy’ shows up with gifts. But that doesn’t happen. The ceremony is amazing, but it ends quickly and your normal life continues. Getting great roles is never guaranteed. People in charge have tunnel vision. If you look a certain way or do a certain kind of scene, they think you can only do that. The best roles go to others first. So I try to reinvent myself and keep proving I can do more. I don’t want to be put in a box.

How do you see ‘Catwoman’ today, the film that earned you a Golden Raspberry in 2005?

The experience of filming it was amazing. The result may not have matched expectations, but I gave 150 percent. I can’t do more than that. Film is the director’s medium. I don’t control the final product. On ‘Catwoman’, I pushed myself physically to bring that character to life. It was cathartic, like all my roles.

Are there career highlights that stand out?

There is one moment I will never forget. I was in London filming James Bond when my manager called at 4 a.m. to tell me I had been nominated for ‘Monster’s Ball’. As an African-American woman, that was beyond anything I had ever imagined. I understood how significant that moment was. I jumped out of bed, ran around the room and screamed at the top of my lungs. It was one of the best experiences of my life.ys in motion.

– Interview by Rüdiger Sturm; Photos by Lev Radin / Tinseltown / Everett Collection / DFree