nothing against her at all, but it just seems like the movies that feature black female interracial relationships always have to cast Halle or as close to Halle in looks as possible
Not impressed!!
This movie was not written with a black female interracial relationship. According to Berry herself, on Oprah, there was no hint in the script about race, Duchovny was cast as the husband first and it became an interracial relationship when Halle Berry was cast later.
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Still talking about Monster's Ball? Boring, overrated movie, and the sex-scene?? There was NOTHING to it, get over it already!!
Besides, I really don't think that Halle Berry is talented. Quite the contrary.
No, I'm not saying I have a problem with black actresses playing these rolls. I have a problem with the big rolls like these always having to be played by Halle Berry. There are other beautiful black actresses out there who would probably do a better job.
shareI agree, is it just because Halle is "close enough" to white to make it easy on people? There are some great black actresses, Halle, over rated in my opinion, but that is just my opinion don't everyone go all ape over this.
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Why would you come on Halle Berry's board and lobby for some other actress? If there is another actress that you are pulling for, why don't you go to their message board and sing their praises. What you are doing is tantamount to attendind a Mary Kay Cosmetics party and then passing out your cards for Avon.
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Halle Berry - as an Oscar winner and gorgeous female lead - she's a huge box office draw. She's not just an actor, she's a "movie star." She's the female counterpart of, say, Denzel Washington!
share- She's the female counterpart of, say, Denzel Washington
Just because she won an oscar, same year as Denzel?
" Look, there's two women fuc*ing a polar bear!" - Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas 1998
ummm...she has no box office draw on her own. She cannot open a movie, thus, not a movie star. Will Smith is a movie star. Denzel is a movie star. Carey Grant was a movie star. Hallie Berry is an actress who is well known.
As for a female equivalent to Denzel? Not even close.
If you put Denzel into a movie it will make 70 million. That's how much his films make as a baseline. Add Berry to a movie and you get...Perfect Stranger? Catwoman? This movie? None of them made a dime and 2 of them weren't even close to good.
,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams
Halle is a movie star. A minor star, but a star nonetheless. She has stared in and carried movies in the past... "The Dorothy Dandridge Story" for which she won an Emmy, comes to mind...
shareWell, that would make her a TV star, wouldn't it?
,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams
Not necessarily. She starred in a movie. The mere fact that TV was the medium of release does not detract from her movie stardom. A TV star is someone whose primary acting showcase is TV like, say, Tina Fey. Again, Halle is not as big a star as some (Angelina Jolie comes to mind), but as an oscar-winning actress for a leading role (Monster's Ball), she'a a movie star in her own right, and with some clout.
shareTV Stardom is very different from film stardom. On TV you aren't being asked to leave your house and pay 10 bucks. TV comes to you and you've already purchased it. Jennifer Aniston was a HUGE tv star, but she cannot open a movie. Most TV stars can't cut it on the big screen. It's a very different model.
Berry has some clout. If your movie costs under 10 million and she is attached, it will probably get made. Bring that same movie with a 40 million dollar price tag and you're looking at a big, fat, no.
Movies marketed based upon her name have not been successful. Gothika made 59 million at the height of her fame. These days she brings 5-8 million dollars to a movie. That's good, but the opportunity cost of putting a more bankable leading lady in that role prevents her from being a true STAR.
,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams
Those movies were box office failures because they were artistic failures, not because they were marketed based upon her name. Movies stars have also made box office flops - Tom Hanks' "Cast Away" to name one.
shareCastAway was a huge hit...it made 230 million dollars.
And since when do artistically satisfying movies make more than stuff that is marketed well? Lets be honest here, Dark Knight is an exception, usually crap rules the day.
This film here was pretty damn good. It made 3 million dollars.
,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams
It might have been "The Terminal." All I know is among others, Tom Hanks - a legitimate "movie star" - have made at least one movie that flopped.
shareTrue. Berry has never had a hit though.
Sure, Die Another Day made bank, but how much of that is due to her? How much would the James Bond film have made without Jinx? The fact that her spin-off movie never happened is a sign of something.
She's never had a hit that was marketed based upon her. What makes someone a movie star is the ability to open a movie. Berry doesn't have that. She never did. Doesn't make her bad. Just makes her a famous actress, rather than a star.
,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams
lol It wasn't the Terminal, either. Guess again! They are out there, though.
This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.
A movie that NETTED over $120,000,000.00 is a flop? Man, what, in your mind, does a movie have to make to be considered a hit?
This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here.
Im not all that about Mrs. Berry as well, but I dont care what others say, this role she did very very well.
Im sorry, I believed this film, and also Benicio Del Toro did an amazing job.
I dont see what all the fuss is about on this interracial stuff. PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE, the movie is just trying to tell a story....nothing else.
I liked the movie (I happen to be in the middle of a difficult time), and what the daughter said, man that was so spot on. "do you ever get the feeling like your in a movie?".
Thats what I feel sometimes, like Im in a bad B-movie....I want the end-credits to role, so I can go on with my life....as I did before....
TWO TUMBS UP for this film. I dont care what you guys say.
Lets be honest Halle is the only A list black actress working right now. Queen Latifah is close but not where Halle is. I can see where the OP perspective is from. Yes its cool that Halle gets big roles but it would be NICE if somebody else got a shot. What about Sanaa Lathan or Gabrielle Union? I think they could of pulled off a strong performance here as well. Hollywood needs to realize there are more black women in Hollywood then just Halle Berry.
shareYeah, what about Sanaa Lathan? I've been saying that for a while now.
It really isn't only Halle, though more power to Halle.
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"Yes I can. That's how I roll."-Ned
<3 Pushing Daisies
And I think that's the problem Halle Berry doesn't MIND being the top black actress in Hollywood the only A List leading lady. Its frustrating and annoying to see such talented black women like Gabrielle Union and Sanaa Lathan be left in inferior projects while Berry gets the glory. I am sure Halle did well in this movie and good for her. It would be NICE if somebody out there realize that Halle isn't the ONLY black actress in Hollywood. Gabrielle Union and Sanaa Lathan are good when given the right role.
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All of the actors you listed have something in common: Incredible charisma and sex appeal. Oh, and enough talent to carry a film alone.
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Is it possible that other black actresses turn down these roles but Berry stoops to pick them up?
Halle Berry has done a number of films that centre in a black experience (Losing Isaiah, Boomerang, Why Do Fools Fall in Love...) but, more than most, she has taken scripts that puts her as a single black person amidst non-blacks (Swordfish, Die Another Day).
That may be to her credit or to her criticism, depending upon how you look at it.
Obviously, a person wants to be known as an actor, not just a limited genre actor. Any actor should be able to ply their craft and hold their own in any acting environment, that's called acting.
So, if she has avoided being type-cast as a "black woman" who can only act in "black movies", that may be good for her.
By the same token, an artist digs into their own exerience and creates something from it. Being black is an experience, as is being white, or whatever one is, and shouldn't be relegated. Maybe other actresses don't go after these roles because they insert them as token blacks in a "non-black story", and they can't relate. Or maybe they are trying to make a statement that they would prefer to tell stories that reflect their experience, for better or worse.
It's also a statement of majority/minority. Infrequently would we have this discussion about a white actor who curiously finds himself or herself constantly taking "token white" roles in "black stories". That's simply because, in the west, visible minorities are still that, minorities. The average white actor simply isn't faced with being called out for "not acting in a white role with more white people" because the majority of stories are "white stories". An actor like Woody Allen can tell stories about New York and being Jewish and never have to appear in a movie with a visible minority as a main character. Plenty of white actors have managed to avoid having to stray outside their own comfort zone culturally (I can't recall a film with Robin Williams, for example, where he shares the billing with a minority actor. Perhaps he's done one or a few, but I can't recall them). Similarly, Larenz Tate, far as I can recall, seems to stick to movies that issue from the black experience. AT least, those movies tend to do better and get him more recognition than any he does as a "black among others").
It seems the question that's really at the root of this is, is Halle "black enough"? (keeping in mind she is, in fact, of an inter-racial family, and as such her experience may not be purely of one or the other persuasion).
Or are other actresses "too black" to get absorbed into the mainstream token roles?
I'm not sure how I see it, I can appreciate the merits in both viewpoints.
i don't think the issue is is she black enough but would teaming her with a black man make the story a "black movie"..
Halle Berry and Wesley Snipes = black film
Halle Berry and Benicio Deltoro= "mainstream" film
will smith brought this out in an interview about the film Hitch..that if his love interest were a white woman it would alienate many parts of the country BUT if she were black it would be percieved as a "black" film so the split the difference and made her hispanic...
and you see the same thing in this movie actually..
I remember when Will Smith said that about Hitch.
He's right. It would be labeled a "black film". I remember visiting one of the imdb boards here and someone mentioned that if she reserved herself to only seeing "black films" she would hardly be at the movies. It made me laugh because she is right. If I limited myself to black films or if anyone did, when would anyone really be at the movies?
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"Yes I can. That's how I roll."-Ned
<3 Pushing Daisies
hey what about Thandi Newton? She's half Zimbabwean, and I would say she is pretty much an A list actress.
I think race still does play too much of a role in Hollywood and the types of movies and the casts it produces. Whatever the public's concencus on a film's racial status is, whether it's a "black" or "white" film or whatever shouldn't factor into your individual viewing of the product. In my opinion, even if it the movie is aimed at a certain audience/demographic, keeping a somewhat detached view on the movie can help you appreciate the story instead of focusing on what race the movie was geared towards. Although I'm not saying that issues of race in Hollywood shouldn't be discussed, they should and things still need to change. Despite this, my point is that I try to look at a movie as a movie, letting it be as "black" or "white" as I want it to be.
shareThandie Newton is NOT A List she's a good actress but sorry she's not A list not by a long shot.
shareThe difference between Halle Berry and other black actresses is this: the term "Oscar Winner" precedes her name. Having won as Oscar is like being in possession of the "immunity idol" in Survivor...
shareA listers have marketing based around their involvement. Newton is a woman who appears in movies, not a woman who can make a movie happen by her very presence.
,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams
But is a black film a bad thing? Its kind of disconcerting to hear what Will Smith had to say. Hitch may have been a success but Eva Mendes is white. Yes she's Cuban American but she's a White Cuban. Don't people know in Cuba and in Latin America there are plenty of people that are Europeans? I don't get it? Of course people forget the point that Halle Berry is half white and not dark skinned. Berry has white features. Beyonce also has white features and that's why white Hollywood is trying to develop her to crossover to a white audience. If Beyonce or Halle was dark skinned white Hollywood just wouldn't care and they wouldn't be so popular. Its all about having a "certain look". Thandie Newton is also another half white actress that has white male love interests. Halle and Thandie are meant for white audiences these days not black audiences. Its all about a "progression" for women of colour in the business sense. A black actress or actress of colour starts out in movies that are geared towards communities of colour and then as they go more mainstream their love interests get "whiter" and "whiter" because it sells. I mean its business but is that right?
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But is a black film a bad thing? Its kind of disconcerting to hear what Will Smith had to say. Hitch may have been a success but Eva Mendes is white. Yes she's Cuban American but she's a White Cuban. Don't people know in Cuba and in Latin America there are plenty of people that are Europeans?
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It's possible that she has all three. As many Cubans and Puerto Ricans do.
shareSo, we're still going by the "one drop" rule? How remote must it be before you're no longer "black"?
,Said the Shotgun to the Head--
Saul Williams
A black film is a bad thing because of all the stereotypes and racist jokes that go in it making black people look stupid and bad, although yeah that is in every movie, its worse when its all black
shareI think you're forgetting that "casting directors" and producers have the say on who gets into a film. Berry was in Swordfish and Die Another Day because she had enough "FAME" at that point to be in mainstream Hollywood movies. Hollywood only allows one or two black women to be "mainstream" stars. Most of the black actors are "segregated" in "black films." Its not that black films aren't good its that the gate keepers the powerbrokers that decide "Which" films to release. Halle is also half white and closer to the white image of beauty. Hollywood prefers her over say Sanaa Lathan or Gabrielle Union because she looks closer to whiteness. So its not just about Halle "wanting" certain roles" its about the white executives in power and the "gate keepers" that decide which ONE or TWO black women or biracial women can get "into" a mainstream film.
shareBecause she is one of the most beautiful actors working today. And, it is not an interracial relationship, because Halle herself is more than half white and has a caucasian partner. And this movie is no jungle fever.
I don't think that Union or Lathan is as marketable as Halle Berry. Nothing to do with Halle being half white. But, it would be as if someone wrote, why not let Kathryn Heigl replace Julia Roberts.
How is Halle "more than half white"?
shareMost African Americans are part white. In fact, 1 in 3 have the Caucasian "y". Berry is a name that is associated to a mixed race mostly Caucasian lineage in early American/Native American culture. Besides, rarely, are there any African Americans who are not admixed.
shareYou do realize how African Americans received our surnames, right? A surname alone is no indicator of mixed heritage. (And yes, I'm aware of so-called common "tri-racial isolate" surnames!)
shareSee my earlier post on African American males and their documented 1/3 European Y heritage.
shareThat the thing I don’t get. Why should Halle not get the part she really wants? Should she say to herself “let some other black actress get this part”? Plus there’s no guarantee another black actress would even go out for that role let alone get it. Halle had to go out of her way to get this role because the director didn’t have her in mind to play this woman. If Halle didn’t read this script, a white actress would most likely played Audrey. I seriously doubt Halle is afforded many roles she would like to play. She has to audition like many B – C list actresses. I bet Julia, Cate, Kate, Naomi or Nicole has to audition for roles. They can pick and choose who they want to work with and most directors have them in mind for the low budget “meaty” roles.
Let’s look at the possible top 12 roles for women that are getting “Oscar Buzz” and see if a black actress with equal or more talent could have played any of these roles.
Marion Cotellard
Cate Blanchett
Keira Knightley
Halle Berry
Julie Christie
Jodie Foster
Angelina Jolie
Ellen Page
Larua Linney
Kicole Kidman
Kari Russell
Charlize Theron
Marion Cotillard “Lav Vie en Rose”, Cate Blanchett “Elizabeth”, Keira Knightley “Atonement”. These roles are Bio-Pictures or based on a character in a particular time period where a black woman would not work as the main female character.
Ellen Page “Juno”, Larua Linney “The Savages”, Nicole Kidman “Margot at the Wedding”. These roles involve family issues and where it’s not just a husband and wife but brothers, sister, mother and fathers. That means that the whole cast would have to be black and I doubt that the producers would want to make these stories “Black Movies” but it could vary well could be. That’s up to the writers, directors, and producers to make that call. But a black actress couldn’t audition for these roles.
Jodie Foster “The Brave One”, Keri Russell “Waitress”, Julie Christie “Away from Her” and Charlize Theron “In the Valley of Elah” could have been played by any race without recasting the whole movie.
Angelina Jolie “A mighty Heart” most definitely should have been played by a woman of mixed race like Thandie Newton.
So out of 12 movies that movie critics feels are the best so far this year for women only 5 are not race specific where a black actress could have played that role and not change the whole feel of the movie. But would the studio cast a black actress over Jodie, Julie, or Charlize? I don’t think so. So give Halle a break because if Kate Winlet wanted to do TWLITF, Halle wouldn’t have the part.
But Hollywood is still very racially stratified whether you want to admit it or not. Hollywood is about reaching the largest possible number and that's reaching white audiences. Hollywood doesn't allow more black screenwriters movies to get greenlighted.You don't even question the screenwriters, directors, casting directors all those movies you mentioned are for WHITE FEMALES. Hollywood has a mypoic attitude about black women in general. And movies are rarely written for black women. Yes Berry has to struggle a bit but she still often does NOT have to audition for roles. I don't believe for a second that Halle always has to audition the way Sanaa Lathan, Gabrielle Union, still have to. Berry might not be first choice for a movie but she's definitely one of the top choices. Berry's "struggle" is that she wants to be treated the same as other A list women like Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts ect. But there's a bigger battle taking place that affects other black women as well.
The screenwriters aren't writing for black women. Black women aren't even looked upon for any of those movies you mentioned. I don't think anyone is disagreeing that Halle Berry does still encounter racism and sexism because she does. What some people are questioning is the reason behind Berry doing so many IR movies. It isn't just because as some people claim its a new "colour blind" system. No its because Hollywood thinks since Berry looks closer to whiteness she has the "best shot" unlike darker skinned black women to cross over. As someone else mentioned these top black actors are being FORCED to comform to a racist way of "thinking" because its the ideology that if you place top black actors with whites the movie will make MORE MONEY. And that's the bottom line here MONEY. I do think "Things We Lost In A Fire" has turned off some people. Whether some people want to admit it or not.
For every dollar that Halle Berry may have lost due to racism, she has gained thousands in her ability to be race transcendant. She is a millionairess, she's beautiful. She's an oscar winner.
You could say that "whites" decide what is beautiful. But, you could also make the case that Ethiopians, Tanazanians or some group of East Africans decided many thousands of years ago what is beautiful. Human forms lingered in East Africa for over one hundred thousand years before the migration into India, Australia, Middle East and Europe took place. So, much of our genepool ancestral sorting was done in East Africa. These Eastern African women ultimately became fairer of skin either through genetic drift, or the mass introduction and or spread of a digpigmentation gene. And they are known to us as white or Caucasian, but their genetic programming was largely incubated in East Africa.
So, the appreciation of Caucasian features, can also be viewed as the appreciation of the features found more less in East Africa in the early days of the homo-sapiens-sapiens. Other races seem to prefer the Caucasian features as evidenced by the high intermaritial patterns between Asians and whites and Hispanics and whites. Also polls confirms a favorable bias towards Caucasian amongst all races--although most ethnic groups prefered their own. Could it be because Caucasians represent more closely the original Eastern African population and we as humans are hardwired in our beauty appetites. There are lots of theories that suggest the racial features that we see today didn't occur until much later in our human evolution and development.
So-called "East African" features, that you incorrectly label "Caucasian" can be found throughout Africa. Have you taken a look at Ghanaians, Senegalese, Rwandans and countless other African people?
Of course, "other races seemingly prefering the Caucasian features" has nothing to do with the past 4-5 centuries of global white supremacy and ideology, right, Sue?
It has nothing to do with the fact that people of color, as a whole, have been taught to hate their features and their skin color, because of this history of white domination and hegemony?
As usual, your ignorance is astonishing.
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Most African Americans are part white. In fact, 1 in 3 have the Caucasian "y". Berry is a name that is associated to a mixed race mostly Caucasian lineage in early American/Native American culture. Besides, rarely, are there any African Americans who are not admixed.
So whites are of pure blood when they like everyone else can trace their ancestry all the way back to Africa?! No race or group is entirely pure!
"It is well that war is so terrible -- lest we should grow too fond of it."
Lathan and Union could be marketable if the people in power in Hollywood actually opened their eyes and understood the black female demographic wants to see MORE then just Halle Berry. Berry isn't marketed towards blacks anymore anyway these days. Actually it has a lot to do with Berry being half white. Gabrielle Union and Sanaa Lathan are just as beautiful as Berry. The difference Lathan and Union are darker skinned black women and Halle Berry is mixed race. Hollywood made Berry their no.1 black actress because she has the Eurocentric standard of what they believe is black beauty. I find it hard to believe people cannot be honest about this.
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dgarts, this was BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN! I agree with much of what you said, truly.
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God is love.
Wait, Jessica Alba supposed to be African-American in Honey? I though she was latina. Wait father's last name is Daniels. *feels retarded*
Depp Head
I Scottish Lads.
Instant Fan: Just add water.
Racist troll!
shareDid everyone who's suggesting Sanaa Lathan for a leading role in an interracial romance pass on 2006's "Something New" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437777/)? I think the movie even got Oprah talking ("Black women, white men: Is it 'something new'?"). Check it out.
Lets be honest Halle is the only A list black actress working right now. Queen Latifah is close but not where Halle is. I can see where the OP perspective is from. Yes its cool that Halle gets big roles but it would be NICE if somebody else got a shot. What about Sanaa Lathan or Gabrielle Union? I think they could of pulled off a strong performance here as well. Hollywood needs to realize there are more black women in Hollywood then just Halle Berry. by - venusebony on Tue Oct 9 2007 16:20:29
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face it, nicky, black...guys...like...white...girls
and latinos like blonde hair blue eye white girls
and crackers (myself included) like brown skiiiiiiiiiin ladies.
anne-marie, do the interns get glocks?
Let's be honest. She's the lightest skinned black actress around.
Still big progress from the old days, though.
It's really not about an inter-racial marriage at all. It's about a woman who loses her husband to a senseless act of violence and how she copes with the loss. Benicio Del Toro is Puerto Rican but nothing is said about him being portrayed as a heroine addict. I'm sure when Sussanne Bier (from Denmark) cast the film, her first thought was NOT "Oh, gee, lets cast a mulatto woman married to a white guy." "Things We Lost in The Fire" is about something that most people suffer through...coping with the loss of a love one. Period.
shareHalle said on Oprah that the part was written for a white actress and Halle had to meet with the director in order to audition for the part. Halle said that at the time they had already decided on David Duchovny as the husband so there was this sudden stop as to if it would work. So there was an issue that clearly ended up resolved.
It isn't about interracial marriage at all, you're right.
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"Yes I can. That's how I roll."-Ned
<3 Pushing Daisies
It's really not about an inter-racial marriage at all. It's about a woman who loses her husband to a senseless act of violence and how she copes with the loss. Benicio Del Toro is Puerto Rican but nothing is said about him being portrayed as a heroine addict. I'm sure when Sussanne Bier (from Denmark) cast the film, her first thought was NOT "Oh, gee, lets cast a mulatto woman married to a white guy." "Things We Lost in The Fire" is about something that most people suffer through...coping with the loss of a love one. Period.
I don't doubt that the story was written without a care for race but hollywood doesn't work like that.
How a movie is percieved by the public is a VERY real concern. John Landis said in a talkshow that the studio thought the Blues Brothers was a "black" movie considering the music content and that a good number of the cast was black even though the stars were white.
And again with Hitch..thats just a story about romance..what difference does it make what color the actors are...but the studio was concerned nonetheless..
Puerto Rican is a nationality it is not a race. And yes Del Toro is a WHITE MAN he's a WHITE Puerto Rican. Why is this so hard for some people to understand? In the Latin American countries there are plenty of whites of Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian, even British ancestry. Del Toro is indeed a white man.
shareYou and me and everyone else may consider him to be white, based on your explanation, but I'm willing to bet you that the majority of the nation will believe that he his Latin and not white, just for the simple fact that he's Puerto Rican. Most people feel that if you aren't descended from Europeans directly(and I mean the more nordic countries, like Ireland, Scotland, Germany, etc), then you're not white. Especially people that have only grasped a fraction of other people's cultures other than their own.
shareYes that is strange, because in Europe the Europeans consider the Spaniards to be a white and a part of the European Union. The Portuguese are also a part of the European Union and they definitely consider themselves whites.Maybe in the USA is a bit messed up. Del Toro is indeed a white man he's just a white Puerto Rican he obviously is of Spanish ancestry.
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I kinda have to agree with you there. There are sooo many great black female actresses that can fill Halle's shoes, and it seems like she does always get cast in roles that have an interracial relationship. Although this film is the exception being Duchovny was cast as the husband first, I do feel other African-American actresses need to be given a chance to be in lead roles such as Halle's that requires an interracial relationship or causcasian co-star.
Deserving actresses:
Elise Neal --(she did a fantastic job with Adrien Brody in Resturaunt)
Joy Bryant
Gabrielle Union
Sophie Okenedo (might have spelled that wrong)
Kerry Washington
Tangi Miller
Tamala Jones
Give these sistas a chance too...
I'm on the same page with you flixgrl. I was going to mention Kerry Washington in my last post, but I did not because I've never seen her act before, but I have caught her on Late Night TV and I just liked her right away.
I've heard about Restaurant. Simon Baker is in that movie as well, correct?
For some reason it seems it is alright to place a white woman next to a black man on screen and off, but when it is in reverse suddenly there's wide-eyes and open-mouthes.
Defiantly need to change that.
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"Yes I can. That's how I roll."-Ned
<3 Pushing Daisies
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"Elise Neal --(she did a fantastic job with Adrien Brody in Resturaunt)
Joy Bryant
Gabrielle Union
Sophie Okenedo (might have spelled that wrong)
Kerry Washington
Tangi Miller
Tamala Jones"
I love how all of you are naming off these actresses like most audiences know who the hell they are! Get real. Nobody is casting them in a movie like this because no studio is going to put bigger actors like Del Toro and Duchovony with Lesser-Talented, Unknown, and Younger actresses and expect audiences to find it as believable.
I mean all of those above listed actresses may have done a few decent films but their credits are a long list of cliche crap. Hey let's pick Tamala Jones! Yeah the girl who was in "Thug Passion" and "Daddy Day Camp" would be great! What about Tangi Miller! YES! That would be perfect! An actress with a mostly TV resume! Ooh Ooh I know! Gabrielle Union! You mean the actress from all those straight to video movies who was also in "Bring It On"?! YEP! She looks about 10 years younger than everyone else cast...but I think it would still be believable!
I think you get the point...Maybe you should try looking at some of those factors before shouting out racial inequality conspiracy theories.
Oh and by the way...Sophie Okonedo is more light-skinned than Halle so I'm going to point that out as well for you.
have a nice day
This topic is so off topic for this film. The movie has nothing to do with any of the peoples race in it. It is just a story about real people. Halle comes from a parents that were diffrent races so this not some weird thing people on this board are making it. It is just real life. They cast Berry because they wanted her for the role. They were not looking for a black actresss, so i don't know why you are naming all these women. A latin and a black starring in a serious film, that does not mention race once?! That is a pretty awesome thing.
shareyes, the skill level, range, and maturity of their acting has a lot to do with it, (besides the obvious issue of skin shade, elocution, and how wide of an audience these women can appeal to). I don't think she's dark (and I'm a BF), but has no one seen Sanaa Lathan in Nip/Tuck on FX? In that show she was engaged to Christian Tro.y (who was a white plastic surgeon) and the whole race thing wasn't really an issue since she had previously been married this old rich white guy who was a perv. The only time it was really alluded to was when Troy would hit on her and say something about her "chocolate cupcakes", lol. I thought she was good, and she's quite good in her film roles as well, although I'm much more of a Kerry Washington fan. For some reason I think she has amazing potential and could subsequently appeal to more American demographics than just "black" if she were in better roles and films with better scripts. Half the time, I honestly think the problem is more frequently with the disappointing editing and scripts of some of these sorry-assed films than the actors... some of the actors/actresses really are great or have great potential but don't have or choose the right parts for their career.
sharetoocool4u2005
I only tuned into Nip/Tuck to see Sanaa, but I never saw that episode or those parts where Christian mentioned "chocolate cupcakes", LMAO.
And yeah she was married to that guy who played Major Nelson on I Dream of Jeanie, correct? Also that other show where he played J.R? I forget the name and never watched, but I'm a TV Land junkie so I do watch I Dream of Jeanie. I think it's the same guy.
Was Sanaa really taken off Nip/Tuck because of the race issue? I read that on the Nip/Tuck boards some time ago on imdb. Something about the ratings dropping because she was paired with Christian. I never knew if it was really true, but it did not shock me hearing all that talk going around.
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LadyMcQueen
Thanks for his real name. I never seen Dallas, but my mom has talked about it before. She's mentioned Dynasty as well.
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LadyMcQueen
If I see them on I'll give them a go. I think I've seen Dynasty a while ago when I was in high school. It must have been on the soap channel and I was completely bored out of my mind. It was some sort of marathon they were having.
Yea. There's a reason why no one knows who these actresses are. Becuz they are barely getting any work! If you saw more movies with Elise Neal, Tamala Jones, and Tangi Miller than maybe...just maybe they would be marketable to a studio.
My argument is this...unfortunatel y Hollywood is still narrow minded when it comes to race and particularly African American women. Halle Berry gets almost ALL the black female lead roles. Opportunities should be given to more actresses of color.
And speaking of color, complexion had absolutely nothing to do with my list of actresses. Each of those actresses have a range of complexions from darkskinned to lightskinned. I have no issue with complexion, just Halle Berry getting all of the lead roles. Her complexion could have something to do with it...her mixed background could have something to do with it...but as of right now, Hollywood sees her as "safe" to co-star with caucasian actors and we need more "safe" African-American actresses to fill that pool. Becuz so far, Halle is the only one in it...and maybe Sanaa Lathan.
Have a Great Day.
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She's half black, half white.
So unless she is with a man who is half black and half white, it's an interracial relationship.
Smart went crazy... where did you go?
An important reason it is Halle is that she is fantasized
by most young and older men. Seems black don't matter
when it comes to her. She is one of the few actors (men
or women) that don't have a barrier of race. Clint Eastwood,
Dianne Carroll, Morgan Freeman, and some other actors seem
to have this power with people who watch them. I am sure
ones that were named in previous post would be good choices
for their acting but maybe they wouldn't want to do this or
not be as comfortable at the roll as Halle is. In todays
movies and tv shows demands much more on acting than in
previous times.
RudeDog
Why do people forget she is only half black and does not look at all typical for a black woman?
who cares interracial films never do good at the box office pretty soon they are going to not make them anymore because they always flop.
only thing they do is get people talking which garners no money.
Black or white or both, Halle is beautiful.
shareThen why is this movie getting Oscar Buzz and great reviews?
I'm sure there are more movies that did very well, but the only one that can come to mind right now is Guess Who's Coming To Dinner? Of course I'm not sure what the box office was back when it came out, but I am almost positive it did really well.
She pretty. But I dont thinks shes beautiful. Different strokes.
"One luminous close-up of the exquisite Gong Li can speak volumes"
(Miami Vice N.Y review).
Why does it always have to be about race? Shut the **BEEP** up about the race issue and who she co-stars with. The only thing people should see is how talented and beautiful she is. Beauty is not only on her oustside, but it embodies her soul. THINK - Talent, not racial issues. Get over it.
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Agree 100% with post above.
"Should we ask the moonlight on your face or the raindrops in your hair?" O(+>
I agree with the last two posts....Being Half Black and White means any movie she's in isn't right to most of you...How sad you turn this into race...How sad you just can't accept what a strong actress she is. Sure there are still problems in Hollywood who could deny that but since she's interracial is this always going to come up?
sharethats critical acclaim not financial successful i doubt this movie will do well in the box office something new didn't do well either.
if the studio is doing it for critical success i can see another ir movie being made but i doubt they well continue to make them.
hell warner bros has decided to not put females in leading roles anymore dont believe me here is a link.
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,22564799-10388,00.html?from=mostpop
I really hate all of this Halle is stealing the good roles for other Black Actresses. She only had 1 single film out in 2004, 2005 (which was a animated film Robots), and 2006, so how was she stealing roles from other black actresses???
shareStop all the "hate"! At the end of the day it's all abou the craft. Halle is a good actress who has sought to extend her range and not be type cast. She's played a crack ho' in Jungle Fever and a bad Cat woman,a great Dorothy Dandridge and a tortured mother of a dead son in Monster's Ball.She should be commended for being one who opened up new vistas for African American actresses.This "crabs-in-the-barrel" mentality shows that many of us black people have to work through our issues of shame,bitterness and hurt.Halle should not be the target of jealousy;she has fought to get projects done,like the Dorothy Dandridge story,which was a labor of love in an industry which only understands one thing--profit,and will play on stereotypes to make money or not to lose it.Halle is a pioneer who should be congratulated and emulated, ot vilified by blacks because she is biracial.She should be judged by her commitment to excellence in her craft in portraying the breadth of what people of color are in non-stereotypical roles and traditional "cultural" roles.
share