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PEOPLE & ARTS A29
Wednesday 3 February
Halle Berry: Hollywood not truthful about people of color
BY SANDY COHEN crisis since the nominations
announced last month re-
AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER vealed a second consecu-
tive year of all-white acting
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, nominees.
Berry is the only black wom-
Calif. (AP) -- Halle Berry said an to win an Oscar for lead
actress, and she said she’s
Hollywood’s lack of diversi- heartbroken her victory
for 2001’s “Monster’s Ball”
ty stems from a lack of hon- didn’t lead to more wom-
en of color being cast in
esty. Filmmakers and ac- leading roles. But she puts
the blame on filmmakers
tors should tell the truth, she with tunnel vision.
“Our cities are filled with
said, “and the films, I think, black and brown people.
And many times, unfortu-
that are coming out of Hol- nately we see films that are
set in Chicago, New York,
lywood aren’t truthful.” Atlanta - big metropolitan
cities - and they’re devoid
“The reason they’re not of people of color,” she
said. “So I feel like when we
truthful these days is they really live up to our respon-
sibility and challenge our-
aren’t really depicting the selves to be truthful, and tell
the truth in our storytelling,
importance and the in- then people of color will
be there in a real competi-
volvement and the partici- tive way, and it won’t be
about inclusion or diversity.
pation of people of color
in our American culture,”
Berry said, addressing the
film academy’s diversity
controversy publicly for the
first time.
She made the remarks
Tuesday during an on-
stage conversation with Halle Berry speaks at the 2nd Annual MAKERS Conference at Terranea Resort on Tuesday, Feb. 2,
her agent, Kevin Huvane, 2016, in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
at the Makers Conference, Associated Press
an AOL women’s leader- Because if we’re telling the and said: “You hit me with Verdes, California, contin-
ship program. truth, inclusion and diversity a zinger!” ues through Wednesday
The Academy of Motion will be a byproduct of the The Makers Conference, with such speakers as Glo-
Picture Arts and Sciences truth.” held at the seaside Terra- ria Steinem, Sheryl Sand-
has been facing a diversity She then looked at Huvane nea Resort in Rancho Palos berg and Caitlyn Jenner.q
