Halle Berry Says She Begged To Be Spike Lee’s ‘Crack Ho’

Halle Berry is poised to debut another blockbuster with the action thriller, Kidnap, but her career may have taken another direction entirely if she hadn’t been so determined to prove herself as a serious actress. Coming to acting with a modeling background at a time when Hollywood looked down on models, Halle says she had to beg and prove herself over and over again just to get the roles that really intrigued her. Looking back on her career, Ms. Berry recalls her first film role in 1991’s Jungle Fever and having to plead with director Spike Lee to consider her for the role of the “crack ho.”

Halle Berry Recalls Begging Spike Lee For Her Jungle Fever Auditions

Believe it or not, Halle Berry’s very first role was in a short-lived series from the 80s called Living Dolls and, as E! News shares, the actress gleefully recalls that the show was canceled after just 13 weeks. The role was significant for Halle for being her first acting gig, but also because it was her first ever audition, so, whatever else Living Dolls may have been, it did give Ms. Berry that boost of confidence. From there, she felt confident enough to set her sights higher and would eventually audition for Spike Lee.

The film was Jungle Fever and, as soon as Lee laid eyes on Berry, he knew he wanted the model turned actress to play the role of his wife in the film. Halle auditioned for that part and performed well enough to be cast, but she wasn’t quite happy with that. Ms. Berry had her sights set on another role in the film.

“I said to Spike ‘You know I really am eyeing this crack ho role, can you please let me audition for that?’ And he said, ‘no, no I don’t see you as the crack ho.’ I said, ‘I am the crack ho. Really deep down I’m the crack ho!’ And he was like, ‘No, I don’t see it.’ And I said, ‘Let me go in the bathroom, wash all this makeup off; you will see eyeing the crack ho.’ So, he let me do that and I came back out and I got to read the crack ho, and I got the part of the of the crack ho,” Halle explains. “And it was an amazing way to start my career, playing a crack ho directed by Spike Lee. It was major for me.”

Modeling Made Halle Berry Want To Play The Ugly Characters In Films

During her interview with W magazine, Ms. Berry recalls that coming to acting from modeling left her at a disadvantage, because, as soon as filmmakers learned of her modeling history, Halle says her skills as an actress were immediately discounted. For this reason, Halle took every opportunity to distance herself from playing the beautiful girl, just as she had done with Jungle Fever. She adds that she took roles in her early career that would emphasize her acting ability over those roles in which she might have been cast solely on her appearance.

Another defining moment in Berry’s career came when Lee Daniels refused to let her read for a part in 2001’s Monster’s Ball, because he had already been influenced by her appearance.

“He thought there’s no way and my argument to him was, just because someone looks a certain way doesn’t mean that they are spared adversity. Adversity does not discriminate,” recalls Ms. Berry. “I thought, ‘My looks haven’t spared me one hardship or one hurt moment or one painful situation. So please, you know, give me a shot at this.’ I said, ‘I often think it’s more interesting when you see someone that looks a certain way struggle in ways that you wouldn’t think they would be struggling with.’ He ultimately gave me a chance and that sort of changed the course of my career in so many ways.”

Halle also reveals that modeling was never really her dream. It was a way to pay the bills. Even before she fell into modeling, Berry had her life all planned out. Surprisingly, Ms. Berry wanted to pursue a journalism career. It was only when one of her Second City teachers noted her acting talent and brought the possibility of becoming an actress to her attention that Halle began to take the prospect seriously. She decided to pursue acting, but Halle says she does wonder what might have happened if she had pursued that journalism dream.

“I love what I’ve ended up doing. I love what I do. But I do think, I do look back and I think, wonder what if I had done something different.”

[Featured Image by Cindy Ord/Getty Images]