Halle Berry reflects on being only Black actress to win at Oscars

Halle Berry, the American actress, opened up about being the only Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress and urged the film industry to recognise more women like her for major awards.

In a recent episode of Trevor Noah’s What Now? podcast, the Catwoman actress admitted, "Being born a Black woman, I feel like I have always felt like I sat at the bottom of society."

Reflecting on her struggles as a woman of colour, she explained that there is always a hierarchy, "White man, Black man, white woman, Black woman."

"So I've always felt at the bottom, never feeling like I was defeated because I was at the bottom, never feeling like I couldn't dream big because I was at the bottom, never feeling like I wasn't worthy or capable because I was at the bottom."

The Monster’s Ball star continued, "But I always have known that I'm going to have to work 10 times harder than everybody else to get anywhere."

Berry’s undeniable talent and dedication led her to being the first Black woman to win an Oscar in 2002, as the Best Actress. More than two decades later, she remains the only Black woman to hold that title.

Only one other woman of colour has won, Michelle Yeoh, for Everything Everywhere All At Once, in 2022.

In the podcast, the 58-year-old artist also urged the film industry to bring diversity in award show. "I hope this year someone stands next to me. I hope it happens because I'm tired of occupying that space alone," she said.

This year the 2025 Oscars nominations for Best Actress category includes several non-white nominess such as, Cynthia Erivo, Karla Sofia Gascon (Spanish and first trans-woman in the category) and Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres.