Halle Berry talks new horror film 'Never Let Go,' collaborating next with 'unlikely' friend Angelina Jolie
"When we sat down with each other, we realized that we were each the thing we both needed that didn't know we needed," Berry said of Jolie.
Halle Berry will "do anything" for her kids, but if you're expecting to see the Oscar winner as a warm and fuzzy mother in her new film Never Let Go, think again.
Berry spoke to Yahoo Entertainment about playing a "darker" matriarch in the psychological thriller, exploring generational trauma and gave an update on her upcoming movie with Angelina Jolie. (More on their "unlikely" friendship, below.)
In Never Let Go, Berry tries to protect her twin sons from an evil that took over the world as they hide out at a house in the woods, tethered together any time they go outside.
"When I finished reading [the script], I couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks," Berry said of the horror flick's post-apocalyptic premise. As one of her son's starts to question if the evil is real — or just in his mother's head — their protective bond crumbles.
"I wanted to understand if, only in my mind, how this happened and why this happened and what would it be like as a mother ... [to give birth] and then raise two children in a house in the middle of nowhere and never leave," she continued. "This whole idea of generational trauma also wildly interests me and how we pass along our fears and our issues and our hurts and our pains to our children. I know that's very much a part of modern society. We don't always realize that we're doing it, but we always are. It's a subject that I thought was in need of a conversation around, put it that way."
Berry is the mother of two kids: Nahla Ariela Aubry, 16, whom she shares with former partner Gabriel Aubry, and Maceo-Robert Martinez, 10, with ex-husband Olivier Martinez. The actress said she could relate to the complex character on one level because she's "a mother protecting her children."
"That's who I am. I would do anything for my kids," Berry explained. "I think every mother says that, but this is a different kind of mother. This is a darker version of a mother. This is a mother dealing with some trauma that's been unresolved. This is a mother who is struggling herself to understand if she is mentally well or if this evil is real. I think she's as scared as her children are, and I think she wants to protect them, but yet she feels a bit unable to do that because she herself is questioning who she is and if all of this is real or not herself."
Berry has played a mom before in various films, but said this time felt "different" as it's a "darker version than I've ever played before."
The 58-year-old actress will next focus on Maude v Maude with Jolie, which has been described as Mr. & Mrs. Smith meets Mission: Impossible.
"It's been a joy to work with [Angelina]," Berry said. "We seemed like two unlikely friends, but when we sat down with each other, we realized that we were each the thing we both needed that we didn't know we needed. You know, we have so many things in common and we realized that in our first meeting."
Berry previously told Variety that she and Jolie had a "rocky start" that will serve them well onscreen, but they ultimately "bonded" talking about "divorces and exes."
As for where the project stands, Berry said "it's coming."
"We're still working on our script. Angie and I both had [other films]. She had to go do Maria. I had to go do [Never Let Go]. So we've had other things we've had to do, but going into next year that is on our docket," Berry told Yahoo. "And I'm really excited."
Never Let Go is in theaters September 20.
