Halle Berry: "Catwoman for the new century" is in control

By Mike Szymanski
Zap2it.com

DOANE GREGORY Halle Berry and Lambert Wilson in "Catwoman." One of her idols, Eartha Kitt, played the role on TV. "Being a woman of color, that meant a lot to me as a kid," says Berry.

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LOS ANGELES — Halle Berry is the cat's meow these days. Or, at least, she is with "Catwoman."

"I have watched my cat and I listen to how he purrs and plays and walks and when he gets angry," Berry says. "And there's a sound that he makes that I've tried to use, too."

Her cat was one of the 60 homeless cats used in a scene in her previous film, "Gothika." In that film, she played a successful psychiatrist who is accused of brutally killing her husband. Berry's mother helped her with the role.

"My mom was a (psychiatric) nurse at a veteran's hospital for 35 years, and I've grown up with that in my life," Berry says. "My mom was really helpful in telling me what things a person in that situation would feel, and how the [heck] they got there."

In lots of ways, Berry says she looks at where she is now and wonders how the heck she got there. As the highest-paid black actress in Hollywood history, who also has Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, Image and SAG awards, she's always aware of expectations to better herself.

"People thought it was strange I was going off to be a Bond girl right after winning an Oscar," she says about playing Jinx in "Die Another Day" after her award-winning role in "Monster's Ball."

"Then, they thought it was strange that I did 'Gothika,' or played Storm again in 'X2.' I don't care."

She's keeping busy, saying "my umbrella is full," with her roles in several upcoming movies: "The Guide," "The Set-Up," "Nappily Ever After" and the animated sci-fi film "Robots." She ended her second marriage last October and tries to maintain her privacy.

And, if reporters gets too personal, she says kiddingly with a wave of her hand, "I slap them."
 
Although she looks stunning as she walks into the room for an interview, she insists she hasn't felt pressure to always be beautiful. "I don't buy into that pressure to be glamorous all the time. It's impossible, I mean, you get a pimple in the morning, you wake up with bags under your eyes, you see if you can use it in your work, maybe incorporate it into your character."

There's no room for bags under her eyes in "Catwoman," where she's decked out in a skin-tight leather outfit, spars with Sharon Stone and plays around with Benjamin Bratt.

"Halle is one of the most dedicated, focused actors that I've ever worked with," Bratt says. "She's arguably one of the biggest superstars in the world, but I have to give her full credit because even in the most ridiculous or seemingly insignificant off-camera moment, she would be there."

One of her idols, Eartha Kitt, was famous for playing Catwoman. "Being a woman of color, that meant a lot to me as a kid to see someone like me playing a character that was so universal. So, that theme has sort of come full circle for me now as I get to be the Catwoman for the new century."

She sighs, almost purrs, "That feels really good."