My Oscar Win Meant Nothing, Says Halle Berry

Halle Berry won the coveted Oscar award in 2002 for her role in "Monster's Ball”. And 15 years down the line, only eight women of colour have been nominated, but none won the Oscar. An upset Berry has said she is very disappointed with the way women of colour are treated in Hollywood.

In an interview with Teen Vogue, Berry said that her win felt ‘meaningless’ after the 2016 Oscar nominations which did not have even a single Black actor. “"I sat there and I really thought, 'Wow, that moment really meant nothing. It meant nothing. I thought it meant something, but I think it meant nothing," she told Teen Vogue.

After the initial disappointment, she has now started thinking about how she can make Hollywood diverse with more people of different races. “It inspired me to try to get involved in other ways, which is why I want to start directing. I want to start producing more. I want to start making more opportunities for people of colour. I have conversations more deeply with Academy members, and I'm trying to figure out how to help and add more diversity to the Academy,” she added.

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Last week, the Oscar academy revealed that this time, it has given a record-breaking 774 memberships. The list of invitees at the academy award is going to have 30% people of colour and 39% women. This is by far the most diverse group of invitees in the history of Oscar awards. If all 774 people grace the event, it would take the percentage of people of colour to 13% and women members to 28%. These changes show how the academy is warming up to different races and genders, reported LA Times.

Last year, the Oscars faced huge rejection and criticism on social media when #OscarSoWhite started trending. It came back again in the 2017 Oscars ceremony, which had a better diverse group of invitees than before. But the trending of the hashtag indicated that there is still a long way to go before Hollywood can claim to be more inclusive.

Picture credit- The Huffington Post