Invitation touches Berry
Lauren Robinson-Brown
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Actress Halle Berry, right, said
Noliwe Rooks, associate director of Princeton's
Program in African American Studies, left, touched
her deeply by inviting her to deliver the keynote
address at the "Imitating Life" conference.
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"We wanted to look at ideas that weren't wrapped in a package that we usually see," said Rooks, associate director of the Program in African American Studies, after the successful conclusion of the first night of the "Imitating Life: Women, Race and Film, 1934-2000" two-day conference. "Popular culture is not removed from academia but at Princeton it is."
So Rooks was as surprised as anyone else in the packed hall of McCosh 50 on Sept. 22 when Berry credited her for making the film star and supermodel feel "worthy."
"I knew I'd get to Princeton some way," Berry said to laughs, followed by a quick hint of her more insecure self, "I'm surely not smart enough to be here."
After discussing her now infamous car accident last spring, Berry told an emotional story of how this "darkest time and scariest time" of her life left little beyond tears and prayers. "If I ever felt unworthy...if I ever questioned why I was...it was during this time," Berry said.
But then, she said, Rooks touched her deeply by offering her the honor of delivering a keynote address at one of the world's most respected universities. "It reminded me that I was a woman of great substance," Berry said of the offer. "From that day, I knew I was worthy."
Berry went on to name five traits that have helped her survive what she called racism and sexism in Hollywood: grace, drive, talent, integrity and courage. Discussing her roles in movies including "Jungle Fever" and the "Flintstones" and her seven-year fight to create the HBO movie that recently garnered her an Emmy, "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," she told how she took risks and never let go of her passion. Yet she was often criticized along the way.
"The industry doesn't know what to do with someone like you," she said of biracial actors. Berry told the audience that her mother, who is white, raised two black children after her father abandoned the family. She said when she auditioned to play a crack-addicted mother in "Losing Isaiah" she was called "too pretty," that people said in "Strictly Business" she "wasn't black enough" and after "BAPs" (an acronym for Black American Princesses) she "angered the entire Black American community."
Yet she railed against such criticism and the expectation that every movie should be "political." Noting that actors are under incredible scrutiny, Berry said they should not have to sacrifice individual artistic freedoms.
Also, she said, scarce roles for women and blacks in Hollywood often cause actors to play parts they would otherwise not consider.
"I was going through a really painful divorce," Berry said of the year when she portrayed a caricature of a black homegirl in "BAPs." "It was either do that movie or hang myself from the shower, and so -- I did the movie."
In a news conference later, Berry said she chose to promote the biography of Dorothy Dandridge, the first black starlet nominated for an Academy Award, because she could identify with her struggles. She said as a young teenager she first saw the movie "Carmen Jones" and wanted to know why she did not know anything about its beautiful yet feisty star, Dandridge.
"Her struggle is my struggle, even though it's 50 years later," Berry said, noting that Dandridge also had a "turbulent childhood" that "caused her to have tough relationships with men. I can relate, but I hope I've learned from her mistakes." Dandridge committed suicide.
Berry, who claimed she is now happier than ever, said the joy in life is working hard to accomplish dreams. Just as she was touched by Rooks, she seeks to inspire others. "Hopefully, I'll be that multifaceted that different people will get different things from me," Berry said. *
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October 2, 2000 Contents • Shapiro
to step down at the top of his game • President Clinton address to keynote academic conference • Invitation
touches Berry • Orientation
packs in activities • Calendar
of events
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