She may have added another trophy to her growing collection of awards, but Halle Berry won many hearts with her acceptance speech.
Yesterday (March 13), the Bruised actress and director received the SeeHer Award at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards.
SeeHer is a collective of marketers, media organizations and industry influencers committed to creating advertising and supporting content that portrays women and girls as they really are. And this award is a prize that recognizes a woman who pushes boundaries and defies stereotypes.
After accepting her award from Insecure’s Issa Rae, Berry opened her acceptance speech by pointing out that storytelling helps to show who people really are.
“[Storytelling] can raise our consciousness and help us think outside of ourselves and our individual circumstances,” she said. “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 others.”
Berry went on to say that after being in the entertainment business for years, she has learned to be grateful for a job where women are starting to share their stories with the world.
“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,” Berry laughed.
“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. We will use our emotional intelligence and we will tell stories that don’t fit preconceived notions. 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 everything and all of that and all at the same time!”
After a few teary eyes from audience members, including Lady Gaga, Berry finished her speech by letting all the little girls in the world know that they are seen, loved and heard.
“If we deny our complexities, 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. So, to every little girl who feels unseen and unheard, this is our way of saying to you: We love you and we see you, and you deserve every good thing in this world.”
What do you think of Halle Berry’s acceptance speech? Let us know how you feel by leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
You can watch the full speech below.
For more coverage from the 27th Critics Choice Awards, click here.
