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Halle Berryā€™s Story Behind Her 'Bruised' Directorial Debut Will Empower You

Today - Season 68

Halle Berry, hear her roar! The Oscar-winning actress spent six months getting into fighting shape for John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum and thereā€™s no slowing down. During a sit-down interview on Variety + iHeartRadioā€™s podcast The Big Ticket with Marc Malkin, Berry shared her next project is behind the camera, directing and starring in Bruised, a female-empowerment film about an MMA fighter.

The project is an important one for Berry and not just because sheā€™s stepping behind the camera for the first time. The film revolves around a woman who once had a promising MMA career and when the unthinkable happens that derails her career, sheā€™s left to make a comeback.

ā€œIt's just where I'm at right now and what my message is all about,ā€ Berry told Marc Malkin of the project, which John Wickā€™s Chad Stahelski is also behind. ā€œAnd being of a certain age, it's about dealing with ageism [and] racism ā€” defying all the rules and telling people none of that matters, you can do exactly what you want to do. You can define who you are andā€¦ that number that gets tagged to us the day we're born really has very little to do with who we actually are and what our capabilities are.ā€

In fact, when the 52-year-old actress first came across the script, it was written for an entirely different character.

ā€œI didn't really set out to direct it, I set out to act in it,ā€ she admitted. ā€œI read the script and I loved it. And, it was written, at that time, for a 22-year-old white woman, which, obviously, can't be me. .. But I was able to convince the producers that it should be me, and why it would be more relevant in the times in which we're living if it were me. And I talked about all the elements of the filmmaking, what I saw in my head and they bought it. They thought, 'Wow, makes sense.' So, I set out to find a director and I met with lots of directors that I ā€¦. respect ā€¦ and throughout the process, what I realized was that nobody really saw the story that I saw in my head, that I kept talking to the producers about, that they loved. So, finally we just sat down one day and they said, ā€˜Why don't you do it?ā€™ā€ she explained. ā€œI thought, ā€˜I can't direct, this is a big acting role for me, I don't think I should be directing as well.ā€™ And they gave me so much confidence and helped me realize that, ā€˜But nobody understands it like you. It's story telling and we definitely feel confident that you've got the story.ā€™ And so I put that hat on for a week or so and I thought about how that felt and I realized, after 25 years in the business there is a lot I know about filmmaking," Berry concluded. "ā€¦Iā€™ve never been the kind of actress that just goes to work, stays in my trailer and says, ā€˜Call me when you're ready.ā€™"

Listen back to the full interview in the audio above to hear more from Berry, including inside scoop on John Wick: Chapter 3. Plus, catch Marc Malkin's interview with The Handmaid's Taleā€™s Elisabeth Moss!

Listen to the latest episode of The Big Ticket with Marc Malkin on iHeartRadio or wherever podcasts can be found.


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