Halle Berry In Monster Ball

Halle Berry In Monster Ball

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Halle Berry instantly connected with Monster's Ball, which won her the Best Actress Oscar, though those around her advised against taking the role.
Actress Halle Berry was advised against taking her Oscar-winning role in Monster's Ball . Monster's Ball was a low-budget film written by first-time screenwriters Milo Addica and Will Rokos. It was directed by Marc Forster, who was still early in his career but has since gone on the helm films like Stranger Than Fiction and Quantum of Solace . Monster's Ball also featured a stellar cast alongside Berry, including Billy Bob Thornton , Peter Boyle, Sean' Diddy' Combs, and Heath Ledger.
The plot of Monster's Ball saw Sonny (Ledger) take his own life, spurring his racist prison guard father, Hank (Thornton), to rethink his ways. Hank then finds himself falling in love with Leticia (Berry), the wife of Lawrence (Combs), the last prisoner he executed. The film tells an emotionally gutwrenching story, with Berry giving an astounding performance that earned her a Best Actress Oscar, making history in the process as the first African-American woman to win the award. However, those around Berry didn't want her to take the role.
While breaking down her career for Vanity Fair , Berry discussed Monster's Ball , a significant milestone. Berry felt instantly connected to the character, saying, " I intrinsically knew who that character was, what she was struggling with, her brokenness. " It also seemed like a no-brainer for Berry, who said, " I have to do it. " However, she had people around her advising against it, saying " It's very risqué, " and that it may feature things " you don't want to do. " In addition, Berry was told it could end her career, though she was ready to take the risk, saying, " I'm going to end my career doing something that inspires me, that ignites me, that excites me. " Check out Berry's comments below:
"When I first read Monster’s Ball, it was very much similar to how I felt about when I read Bruised. I thought, ‘I have to do it, I’m going to die if I don’t do this.’ I saw myself all over it. I intrinsically knew who that character was, what she was struggling with, her brokenness, her fracturedness. I understood the battle. I understood her fight in life and, right away, I said, ‘I have to do it.’ But then people around me said, ‘Ooh, it’s a very low-budget movie. It’s very risqué. There’s some sexual components to it that maybe you don’t want to do. The subject matter, it’s got a lot of racial components to it. I don’t know if you want to touch this.’ And those were all the reasons why I loved it. And I thought, ‘If this ends my career,’ like many people thought it would, I thought, “well, I’m going to end my own career on my own volition. I’m going to end my career doing something that inspires me, that ignites me, that excites me.’ And it was a risk and I love taking risks and I’ve always known, if you don’t risk big, you can’t win big. So, I was prepared to take the risk."
Berry's historic Oscar win for Monster's Ball shows she was ultimately correct in her decision, though it was not the only accolade the film brought her. Berry's role saw her nominated for a BAFTA, the AFI Awards Actor of the Year, and a Golden Globe. In addition to her Oscar, Monster's Ball also won Berry Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role from the Screen Actors Guild, and Best Actress from the National Board of Review.
The concerns presented to Berry before taking the role were valid, given that Monster's Ball features openly racist characters, one of whom is the protagonist, and graphic sexual content. However, the film connected with audiences who saw the emotional journey taken by a man who begins to see the evil in his racist ways, making changes in his life to better himself and helping Berry's Leticia in the process. Thanks in no small part to Monster's Ball , Berry's career has continued to flourish. Since her Oscar win, she has appeared several more times as Storm in the X-Men franchise , acted alongside Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3 , and even taken up the director's chair with her new film Bruised . While the trepidation surrounding the role in Monster's Ball may have come from a supportive place, Berry's risk-taking nature helped her make history.
Tim McClelland is a TV/Movie News Writer for Screen Rant. His screenplays have accrued more than 25 awards and selections in competition, including Best Original Screenplay at the 2021 Hollywood Blood Horror Festival and Best Horror Feature Screenplay 2020 from Bridge Fest, with his work being hailed as "complex, layered, and bloodcurdling." He got his start when his short biography of Augusten Burroughs was published in 2008, and his career has seen him write video game walkthroughs, web content, and interactive fiction for mobile platforms. He even found himself with one of those nifty IMDB credits for a short film he wrote.

Tim resides in Durham, NC, with a rabid passion for film, TV, video games, and comics, all of which he owns way too many of, and those collections are only rivaled by his overabundance of LEGO. He also happens to be an ordained Dudeist Priest, working to spread The Big Lebowski's relaxed worldly philosophy, "Just take it easy, man." Find Tim on Letterboxd or Twitter as tdm5003.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For this professional wrestling match type, see Monster's Ball match .
Not to be confused with Poké Ball , which is called "Monster Ball" in Japanese versions of Pokémon .

November 11, 2001 ( 2001-11-11 ) ( AFI Fest )
December 26, 2001 ( 2001-12-26 ) (Los Angeles and New York City)
February 8, 2002 ( 2002-02-08 ) (United States)

^ "Theaters Have A Monster's Ball" . hive4media.com . April 2, 2002. Archived from the original on April 17, 2002 . Retrieved September 19, 2019 .

^ Brooks, Libby (June 3, 2002). " 'Now I'm really at the party' " . The Guardian .

^ Jump up to: a b c d "Monster's Ball : Production Notes" . www.cinema.com . Retrieved 2020-10-03 .

^ "#OscarsSoWhite and The Legacy of Halle Berry | 8Hours" . www.8hours.com . Retrieved 2020-10-03 .

^ Barbour, Shannon (2020-09-09). "Halle Berry's Oscar Win Was One of Her "Biggest Heartbreaks" " . Cosmopolitan . Retrieved 2020-10-03 .

^ "Halle Berry Recalls Historic Oscars Win For 'Monster's Ball' " . BET.com . Retrieved 2020-10-03 .

^ Scott, A. O. (26 December 2001). "FILM REVIEW; Courtesy and Decency Play Sneaky With a Tough Guy - The New York Times" . The New York Times .

^ Bonner, Mehera (September 4, 2019). "15 Movies That Broke the Mold and Featured Anal Sex Scenes" . Marie Claire . Retrieved January 5, 2020 . Halle Berry made history as the first black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Monster's Ball. The film featured an intense anal sex scene between Berry and costar Billy Bob Thornton.

^ "FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN: 'Monster's Ball' - Script Magazine" . scriptmag.com . Retrieved 2020-10-03 .

^ "A Death Row Tale Finally Gets a Reprieve" . Los Angeles Times . 2001-08-12 . Retrieved 2020-10-03 .

^ "FROM SCRIPT TO SCREEN: 'Monster's Ball' " .

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^ Ebert, Roger. "Monster's Ball movie review & film summary (2002) | Roger Ebert" . rogerebert.com/ . Retrieved 2020-10-03 .

^ "BBC - Films - review - Monster's Ball" . www.bbc.co.uk . Retrieved 2020-10-03 .

^ "ReelTalk Movie Reviews" . www.reeltalkreviews.com . Retrieved 2020-10-03 .

^ "The 74th Academy Awards (2002) Nominees and Winners" . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . AMPAS. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014 . Retrieved November 19, 2011 .

^ "AFI AWARDS 2001" . American Film Institute . Retrieved April 19, 2016 .

^ "PRIZES & HONOURS 2002" . berlinale.de . Archived from the original on 15 October 2013 . Retrieved 9 June 2014 .

^ "Black Reel Awards Past Winners" . Black Reel Awards . 21 February 2016 . Retrieved August 24, 2021 .

^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 2003" . BAFTA . 2003 . Retrieved 16 September 2016 .

^ "1988-2013 Award Winner Archives" . Chicago Film Critics Association . Retrieved August 24, 2021 .

^ "2001 FFCC AWARD WINNERS" . Florida Film Critics Circle . Retrieved August 24, 2021 .

^ "Monster's Ball – Golden Globes" . HFPA . Retrieved July 5, 2021 .

^ "36 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF) . Independent Spirit Awards . Retrieved August 13, 2021 .

^ "Pop stars claim victories at MTV Movie Awards" . CNN . Associated Press . June 2, 2002. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016 . Retrieved September 2, 2015 .

^ "2001 Award Winners" . National Board of Review . Retrieved July 5, 2021 .

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^ "Writers Guild Awards Winners" . WGA. 2010. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012 . Retrieved March 7, 2019 .

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Monster's Ball is a 2001 American drama film directed by Marc Forster , produced by Lee Daniels and written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos, who also appear in the film. It stars Billy Bob Thornton , Heath Ledger , Halle Berry , and Peter Boyle , with Sean Combs , Mos Def , and Coronji Calhoun in supporting roles.

Thornton portrays a corrections officer who begins a relationship with a woman (Berry), unaware that she is the widow of a man (Combs) he assisted in executing. [2] Principal photography began in May 2001 in New Orleans, Louisiana and lasted for five weeks. [3]

Monster's Ball premiered at AFI Fest on November 11, 2001, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 8, 2002 by Lionsgate Films . The film received positive reviews, with critical acclaim directed at Berry, Ledger and Thornton's performances, Forster's direction, and Addica and Rokos' screenplay. It was also a significant commercial success, grossing $44.9 million worldwide on a production budget of $4 million.

The film received numerous accolades and nominations, and was nominated twice at the 74th Academy Awards for Best Actress (Berry) and Original Screenplay (Addica and Rokos), with Berry winning for her performance, becoming the first and, as of 2022, the only African-American woman to win the award. [4] [5] [6]

Hank Grotowski, a widower , and his son, Sonny, are corrections officers in a Georgia [7] prison. They reside with Hank's father, Buck, an ailing, bigoted retired corrections officer whose wife (Hank's mother) committed suicide. Sonny is friends with the Cooper brothers, Willie and Darryl, who are black . At the behest of Buck, Hank frightens off the brothers with a shotgun and is later confronted by their father Ryrus.

Hank, the prison's deputy warden, will oversee the execution of convicted murderer Lawrence Musgrove. Musgrove, a talented amateur artist, draws a sketch of Sonny. Sonny is a shy and gentle person, and is as kind to Musgrove as his duties permit.

The night before the execution, Hank tells Sonny that a "monster's ball" is held by the corrections officers, a get-together of those who will participate in the execution. The proceedings prove too much for Sonny, who, as he is leading Lawrence to the electric chair , vomits, and then collapses. Following the execution, Hank confronts Sonny in the prison's bathroom and slaps him for being so "soft" and "ruining a man's last walk".

The next morning, Hank attacks Sonny in his bed and orders him to leave the house. Sonny grabs a revolver from under his pillow and holds his father at gunpoint. The confrontation ends in their living room with Hank sitting on the carpet, and Sonny in Buck's customary chair. Sonny asks his father if he hates him. After his father calmly confirms that he does, and always has, Sonny responds, "Well, I always loved you," and commits suicide by shooting himself in the chest.

A devastated Hank buries Sonny in the back garden with an abbreviated funeral because, as Buck comments, "He was weak." Hank subsequently resigns as deputy warden, burns his uniform in the backyard, and locks the door of Sonny's room. He purchases a local gas station in an attempt to provide a distraction in his retirement. The Coopers offer condolences to Hank, who asks which one is Willie and which one is "Harry" (mistaking Darryl's name) and is corrected politely.

During the years of Lawrence's imprisonment leading up to his execution, his wife, Leticia, has been struggling while raising their son, Tyrell, who has inherited his father's artistic talent. Overwhelmed, she lashes out at the boy for his obesity , resorting to physical and emotional abuse. Along with her domestic problems, Leticia struggles financially, with an eviction notice on her house from her landlord. In desperate need of money, Leticia takes a job at a diner frequented by Hank. Due to lack of maintenance (which Lawrence had suggested), Leticia’s car breaks down, so she and Tyrell begin walking back and forth between home and the diner.

One rainy night, Leticia (having stolen an umbrella) and Tyrell are walking down a soaked highway. Hank happens to be driving along and sees Tyrell lying mortally wounded on the ground and Leticia calling for help. After some hesitation, Hank stops, and being told Tyrell was struck by a car, he drives them to a hospital, where Tyrell dies from his injuries. At the suggestion of the authorities at the hospital, Hank drives Leticia home. A few days later, Hank gives Leticia another ride home from the diner. They begin talking in the car about their common losses, and she invites him in. Hank finds out that Leticia is Lawrence's widow, though he does not tell her that he participated in her husband's execution. They drown their grief with alcohol and have sex. [8]

Hank takes Sonny's old truck to Ryrus' auto shop and they discuss fixing it, with Hank mentioning he wanted to sell the truck, and asking if Ryrus' boys could wax it. He then offers to give the truck to Leticia, who reluctantly accepts after initial protests of discomfort.

Leticia stops by Hank's home with a present for him, but he is not there. She meets Buck, who insults her and implies that Hank is only involved with her because he enjoys sex with black women. Leticia, offended by the remarks, refuses to interact with Hank. After Hank is made aware of Buck's actions, he finally commits his father to a nursing home . He then renames the gas station "Leticia's", saying it is his girlfriend's name when asked.

Leticia is evicted from her home and Hank invites her to move in with him. She later discovers Hank's involvement in her husband's death when she finds the drawings of Sonny and Hank done by Lawrence as he awaited execution. She’s disturbed by the revelation, but numb from the loss of her son and recent misfortune, she’s waiting for Hank when he returns from town with ice cream. The film ends with the two of them eating ice cream together on the back porch, content with each other as Hank states that he thinks they’ll be okay.

The basis for this film came from the desire of actor-turned-writers Addica and Rokos to make a script that would interest a big star alongside themselves with Harvey Keitel in mind since he liked the latter's writing when offered one of their scripts. [3] They were inspired by their troubled relationships with their fathers as a starting point that eventually led to a generational tale about executioners, which eventually led to the inspiration for the title (an old term for the last meal of a condemned man and a "ball" that took place with his jailers the night before). [9] They wrote the script over a period of eight months over the course of 1995 that eventually inspired a bit of interest through a producer of a film Rokos had acted in. [10] Years of development occurred due to interest from filmmakers ranging from Robert DeNiro to Oliver Stone along with studios that wanted a lighter ending, but the transition to Lee Daniels and Lionsgate led to interest back to the original ending. [11] The film was produced by Lionsgate and Lee Daniels Entertainment, the first production for the latter.

Principal photography began in May 2001 in New Orleans, Louisiana and lasted for five weeks. [3] A week before production, Combs auditioned for the role of Lawrence Musgrove, and won it. At one point, the production moved to the fields, cellblocks and death houses of Louisiana State Penitentiary for a week to shoot prison interiors and exteriors, with some scenes shot in actual death chambers. [3]

The film received mostly positive reviews, with Berry's performance being widely acclaimed. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 121 of 143 reviews were positive, giving the film a score of 85% with an average rating of 7.34/10, and was certified "Fresh". The site's critical consensus states, "Somber and thought provoking, Monster's Ball has great performances all around." [12] On Metacritic , the film received a 69 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [13]

Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and rated it as the best film of 2001 , stating that it "has the complexity of great fiction". [14] Ebert also praised the performances of Berry and Thornton, saying, "[Thornton] and [Berry] star as Hank and Leticia, in two perform
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Halle Berry In Monster Ball

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