Bikini-clad Halle Berry kisses boyfriend Van Hunt in passionate photo after declaring she wants to 'slap' internet trolls
Halle Berry is having the time of her life, and she's not afraid to show it — even if internet trolls have a few things to say.
The Oscar winner, 54, took to Instagram on Saturday to share an intimate photo of herself and boyfriend Van Hunt, 51, kissing outdoors in a loving embrace.
Sporting pink and green bikini bottoms, a white T-shirt and red heart-shaped sunglasses, the actress is pictured with her arms around Hunt, who is dressed casually in a gray hoodie and green pants.
"We do this thing called whatever the f*** we want!" wrote Berry, whose famed washboard abs and glutes are on full display in the photo.
Berry's post and defiant message comes after a new interview with Essence in which she explained her love-hate relationship with social media, and the constant onslaught of rude comments she receives from trolls.
"The thing I hate, and this will never stop, I know, because it’s the nature of the world, but I really hate the negativity that gets on there. I just really want to like, slap these trolls because it really is damaging to people," Berry admitted. "It’s damaging to young people and I really wish that if you really didn’t have something [nice] to say, don’t say it. If you’ve got something so negative to say about somebody, why are you on their page?"
The mom of two children, Maceo, 7, and Nahla, 13, said that while she can handle the comments, she recognizes how damaging they can be to young people.
"I see that with my daughter and it infuriates me," she said. 'That’s one of the reasons I’ve kept them out of the media, to protect them, for this very reason."
Still, it's impossible to shelter her kids entirely from the outside world, especially her teen daughter, whose father is actor and model Gabriel Aubry. That's why Berry tries to make it clear to Nahla to take any negative feedback with a grain of salt.
"It’s not something she should take to heart. While that’s easier said than done, I think as a mother, all I can do is reiterate that message and hope that in the quiet of her mind, she’s listening," said Berry.
But when it comes to her own accounts, Berry loves how "fun" social media is, saying she tries "to lean into and not to take myself seriously." But it also gives her an opportunity to control her own narrative, particularly after lacking that autonomy after decades in the spotlight.
"The story that was perpetuated about me just wasn’t true but it was editorialized by people and it was out of my control," said Berry. "Now I get to control and show different sides of myself. I really love that."
Clearly, Berry is having fun telling her own story. After making their relationship Instagram official last summer, she and Hunt took the red carpet by storm at the Academy Awards for their "1st date nite."
Related: Halle Berry and Van Hunt share personal ‘date night’ photos
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