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Halle Berry's efforts, which she put in throughout her 30-year-long journey in Hollywood, continue to pay off as the actress won hearts with her speech while receiving the prestigious SeeHer award at the 27th annual Critics' Choice Awards last Sunday.
According to the Critics' Choice Awards, the SeeHer Award "honors a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries."
Berry is the sixth actress to receive the award. Past winners include Viola Davis, Gal Gadot, Claire Foy, Kristen Bell, and Zendaya.
Lady Gaga was even seen crying during the speech as Halle Berry dedicated her award to "every little girl who feels unseen and unheard," concluding:
"This is our way of saying to you: We love you and we see you, and you deserve every good thing in this world."
A look at Halle Berry's impassioned and inspiring speech at this year's Critics Choice Awards
The 55-year-old began her acceptance oration by heartily thanking actress Issa Rae, who presented her with the honor, saying:
"Issa, I have to say, thank you. You have inspired me since the moment you showed up. You have rearranged the way we see ourselves as women of color on television and in the world. And I thank you from my heart and thank you for being here for me."
She then went on to tell the story of how she wound up being cast in Netflix's 2021 movie Bruised and serving as its director as well. She noted:
"The first time I read the script for Bruised... I realized the role wasn't written for someone who looked like me. So I went to the producers, and I asked, 'Why not me? Why can't it be a black woman?' They said, 'Why not?' Later on, they told me, 'Go find a director.' And finally, I summoned the courage to say, 'Why not me?' They said, 'Why not?'"
Halle Berry also talked about how important it was to make the film and convey the powerful story to the audience, as she said:
"Finally, when the film came out, I asked someone what he thought of the move. He said, 'I have a hard time watching a woman getting battered and beaten. It made me feel uncomfortable.'"
She continued:
"And in that moment, I knew exactly why I had to tell the story. I knew exactly the power of the story. Because I said, 'If you had a hard time, if it made you uncomfortable watching that story, imagine being that woman, living that story.'"
She pointed out the importance of storytelling in order to "find compassion and empathy" for others, stating:
"This is the power of storytelling. It can raise our consciousness and help us think outside of ourselves and our individual circumstances. I realized that we truly need to see each other's reality — no matter how uncomfortable it makes us — so that we can stop judging and stop pointing fingers, but rather find compassion and empathy for the others."
Shortly before getting to a serious point, Halle Berry joked:
"I've been in the business for 30 years, and I used to think that if I could play the part of a white man, then I was winning. But you know what, wanna know why that didn't work? Because, if you didn't know, I'm not a white man."
She then went on to say:
"So, for those roles to work, they would have to be substantially changed. It would have to be written with the reality of my journey, in all of its beauty and all of its pain. This is why I am so grateful to be standing and living in this moment where women are standing up and we are telling our own stories."
Halle Berry stated with pride:
"Because you know why? We will write, we will produce, we will direct, and if we are brave enough, we will start in it, all at the same time! We will use our emotional intelligence and we will tell stories that don't fit preconceived notions."
She further mentioned:
"No, we will tell stories that see us fully in all our multitudes and contradictions. Because we are confident and we are scared. We are vulnerable and we are strong. We are beautiful and we are abused. We are everything and all of that and all at the same time!"
Before concluding her 4-minute-long speech, Halle Berry remarked:
"Because if we deny our complexity, then we deny our humanity. We won't always be pretty and we will never be perfect. But what we will be is always honest and true, no matter how uncomfortable that makes you. These are the stories we have to fight to tell, and these are the stories that the world needs to see."
In 2002, Halle Berry became the first black woman to win an Oscar for the best actress category for her performance in the 2001 movie Monster's Ball. She has previously won a Golden Globe, an Emmy, two SAG awards and five NAACP Image Awards.
