When Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie Became BFFs Over ‘Divorce’ and ‘Exes’

Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry are both known for their daredevil roles in movies such as Tomb Raider, Salt, Die Another Day, and X-Men. The Oscar winners will be seen together for the first time in a new spy thriller titled Maude vs Maude. Talking about their on and off-screen bonding Berry recently revealed to Variety that they didn't start on good terms. “We had a rocky start and I think that is going to serve us well in our screen time together,” the Monster's Ball actress said before adding that she is “thrilled to work with another woman and craft a story with our sensibility and from our point of view. She is formidable.” Berry shared that they forged a new friendship after their shaky start over their common past, “We’ve been talking a lot about divorces and exes,” the actress remarked. “We bonded, let’s say that.” 

Berry described that she is co-producing the flick with Jolie and that it is inspired by Mr & Mrs Smith and Mission: Impossible with a comic twist. The Catwoman actress said that she is "looking forward to battling Jolie physically and intellectually” in the film. She added. “We plan on going all around the world. Warner Bros. bought our screenplay and, for us, it is about going places that have never been shown on screen before.” She further added, “It’s a love story at its core but it deals with the supernatural, time travel, and the future,” Berry revealed while hinting towards the main plot. As per People, eight years after filing for it, Berry's divorce from Olivier Martinez was finally formalized in August.

On the other hand, before Jolie filed for divorce from actor Brad Pitt in 2016, the two were wed for four years. Since then, the two have been involved in a legal dispute. Calling the presence of the two stunning actresses a "mother-off" on-screen fans gushed over the new project. 

In response, Berry wrote on X, “Someone just tweeted a 'mother off' and I’m laughing so hard right now. Glad you guys are just as excited about this project as I am.” Berry debuted as a director in 2020 with the film Bruised, which follows an ex-MMA fighter (played by Berry) as she seeks atonement. Describing the process as "hell" when questioned she elaborated, “Because I was a woman and a Black woman, the treatment I received and the things I had to put up with were unconscionable.” She added, “If I were a white man or even a Black man, it would have been easier. It’s amazing I even made it and a miracle Netflix bought it.” 

Meanwhile, Jolie is ready to settle in Cambodia after her divorce from Pitt to concentrate on her new fashion house Atelier Jolie. “It’s part of what happened after my divorce. I lost the ability to live and travel freely. I will move when I can,” Jolie exclusively told WSJ Magazine. “I grew up in quite a shallow place. Of all the places in the world, Hollywood is not a healthy place. So you seek authenticity.” 

Jolie expressed that she feels a “bit down these days,” “I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way. Which I don’t want to get into.”

“I wouldn’t be an actress today,” the Wanted actress concluded. “When I was starting out, it wasn’t as much of an expectation to be as public, to share so much.”