The pivotal filmmaking advice Warren Beatty gave Halle Berry
Bond Girl, Catwoman, action hero – Halle Berry has certainly made a name for herself over the years. Her acting prowess is proven, but when she stepped in to direct her 2020 film Bruised, a whole other talent was discovered.
Her directorial debut came as Berry fought for the project, having been a fan of mixed martial arts (MMA) for years, and a director couldn’t be found. Berry had already put in plenty of work to reimagine the original story, incorporating some personal experiences and interests, making Bruised the story of a black female fighter—so when the opportunity arose to take on the director role, Berry leapt at the chance.
Bruised follows Jackie Justice (Berry), an MMA fighter who leaves the sport in disgrace. Down on her luck and simmering with rage and regret years after the fight, she’s coaxed into a brutal underground fight by her manager and boyfriend and grabs the attention of a fight league promoter who promises Jackie a life back in the Octagon. But the road to redemption becomes unexpectedly personal when Manny – the son she gave up as an infant – shows up at her doorstep.
Berry spoke to A. Frame about the challenges of her directorial debut. It seemed she drew on her extensive experience as an actor to understand how to direct well: “I love when I have a director that’s collaborative, that has respect for the actor’s point of view when it comes to the character.”
Berry also learned the importance of hiring the right collaborators from none other than Warren Beatty, who had directed himself on Bulworth. Beatty told Berry that the most important piece was taking his time to choose his department heads, people he trusted, and then letting them do their jobs.
It may seem like a simple piece of advice, but the notion of putting trusted people in your most powerful positions is not necessarily a line that everyone follows. Too often, high positions are filled by flashy or exuberant candidates. But, with Beatty’s ideas in her head, Berry made great choices.
In following his advice and choosing her collaborators carefully, based on trust, Berry added: “I allowed myself to be surprised every day by what their creativity brought to the process.” This sentiment seems to speak to a wider systemic way of doing things and acts as advice in itself – expect the unexpected and enjoy the directorial experience.
Bruised went over fairly well in reviews but was most definitely a success for Berry as a director, with many hailing it an earnest and well-thought-out debut. Clearly, Beatty’s advice struck home, and Berry optimistically reflects on the landscape: “Everywhere I look now, I see us, and so I know that there’s change. I’m seeing Black women directing: Dee Rees, Ava DuVernay, Lena Waithe. I mean, I got a chance to do that this year. There are women around me doing things that I never thought possible 30 years ago”.
