“Halle was famous for wearing a bikini in her Bond movie..”: Producer Says Fan Hate for Halle Berry’s Catwoman Suit Was Ridiculous
- Halle Berry mentioned that she has carried the hate and negativity she received for Catwoman for years.
- She was the first Black Woman superhero.
- Halle Berry's Cat Suit received negative comments from the fans at the time.
Actress Halle Berry represented the USA at Miss World 1986 and managed to finish the competition in sixth place. Soon after, Berry ventured into acting and appeared alongside Eddie Murphy in Boomerang in 1992, for which she was highly appreciated. Yet another of her critically acclaimed roles includes Giacinta ‘Jinx’ Johnson in the 2002 James Bond movie Die Another Day, opposite Pierce Brosnan.
Halle Berry portrayed the character of Catwoman in 2004’s movie of the same name, directed by Pitof. The movie received a negative response at the box office from critics as well as the audience. The critics at the time noted that it was one of the worst comic book movies ever made. The actress recently talked about the failure of the movie and the hate she received for playing the DC Comic Book character on screen.
Halle Berry addressed the hate she received for Catwoman
While marking the 20th anniversary of Catwoman, actress-model Halle Berry spoke to EW, admitting that it’s unfortunate that the movie did not perform at the box office the way they thought it would. She was the first black woman to lead a solo DC Comics movie.
She also adds in the interview about the fact that it was just her who received the backlash over the years, and she had no choice but to carry it along with her all these years. She said,
I felt like it was Halle Berry’s failure, but I didn’t make it alone. All these years, I’ve absolutely carried it. I always thought the idea of Catwoman saving women from a face cream felt a bit soft. All the other superheroes save the world; they don’t just save women from cracked faces.
The actress mentioned that she always knew that it was a soft superhero plight, but at the time she didn’t have any agency or belief that she could challenge that, so she went along with it. Berry, however, mentioned that despite her not agreeing with the story of the movie, she had a great time filming it. She noted that she worked hard to embody a cat in so many ways, psychologically and physically, adding that she never thought it went awry.
During the interview, Berry also stated that the beauty of doing Catwoman was the fact that it wasn’t set in a Batman universe. She mentioned that it was an opportunity to be forward-thinking, pushing the envelope for women. However, talking about the backlash, she said she didn’t love the backlash she received at the time, pointing out that, as a Black woman, she is used to carrying negativity on her back.
Halle Berry talks about the hate her Catwoman costume received
During the interview, it was mentioned that the first backlash from fans came after pictures of Halle Berry’s Catwoman suit were leaked online. Producer Denise Di Novi, who was also part of the interview, mentioned that it was the first time the movie started to get negative comments. She explained,
It was so different from what people were used to in the other movie. In a catsuit, by definition, everything is covered up. We thought it’d be cool to be more rock & roll and bare. Halle was famous for wearing a bikini in her Bond movie, and we were like, Why not? People had such a reaction to it, which is so ridiculous. We have the famous Colleen Atwood helping us with just that costume. Halle had a lot of input. I still think it’s cool and a lot more modern!
The actress also jumped in to share her experience with the backlash over her costume and mentioned that the fans were upset about the suit. She said that it was something different, but they only thought about why they would keep remaking Catwoman if they were not going to take risks and bring something different to the story. She added,
The beauty was that it was better suited for my version of her, my body, who I was, and my sensibilities.
The actress addressed the negative commentary on the movie and said that she did not like the bad reviews, but it wasn’t going to stop her world or derail her from doing what she loves. Director Pitof praised the actress and mentioned that Catwoman was ahead of its time and that she was the first Black Woman superhero, so people weren’t ready for that kind of movie.
He added that now the industry has more diversity and inclusiveness because a younger audience looks at things differently and is much more open. Back then, fans hated the movie because it didn’t involve Batman, but now the generation is okay with it.
Catwoman is available on VOD on Prime Video.
