Halle Berry is tired of being the only Black woman to win Best Actress

By Kay Wicker

·February 25, 2025

American actress Halle Berry accepts the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in "Monster's Ball", at the 74th Annual Academy Awards, held at the Kodak Theater In Hollywood, California, March 24, 2002. Applauding her (left) is Australian actor Russell Crowe. (Photo By Getty Images)

The 97th Academy Awards are this Sunday, and Academy Award winner Halle Berry hopes someone else finally joins her on the Black “Best Actress” winner list.

During a recent appearance on Trevor Noah’s “What Now?” podcast, the 58-year-old actress discussed how it’s lonely being at the top of what host Noah called “The Olympics” of acting awards.

“I hope this year someone stands next to me,” she said in an exasperated tone. “I hope it happens because I’m tired of occupying that space alone.”

Berry won “Best Actress” in 2002 for her role in the film “Monster’s Ball,” marking the first and only time a Black woman has taken home the top prize. Since she won more than 23 years ago, six Black women have been nominated eight times in the same category, including Andra Day, Gabourey Sidibee, Quvenzhané Wallis, and Ruth Negga; Viola Davis and Cynthia Erivo have both been nominated twice.

Meanwhile, just one other woman of color has managed to secure the win, Michelle Yeoh, in 2023 for her role as Evelyn Wang in the movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Berry told Noah she felt “chosen” to win in 2002 “to open that door.”

“I knew it was bigger than me,” she added. “I was chosen in that moment to be a beacon of possibility and I do think it served that purpose.”

With the Academy Awards gearing up for the Sunday telecast, Cynthia Erivo, who is nominated for “Best Actress” for her role of Elphaba in the smash hit “Wicked,” is poised to join Berry. Erivo has previously been nominated for her role as Harriet Tubman in “Harriet” in 2019. Erivo winning “Best Actress” on Sunday wouldn’t just make her the second Black woman to take home the prize but would also cement her as the youngest person to earn EGOT status (someone who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony award).

Erivo is one of six Black nominees for this year’s Oscars. The list includes Zoe Saldaña, Colman Domingo, and costume designer Paul Tazewell. Discover the rest below!