Halle Berry Reflects On Massive ‘Catwoman’ Flop: ‘I Hated That It Got All Put On Me’

Actress Halle Berry is reflecting on the massive flop of her film “Catwoman” 20 years after its release and how the backlash affected her.

The 57-year-old starred in the Warner Bros. superhero film in 2004. Critics and audiences came down hard on almost every aspect of the movie, including the acting, direction, visual effects, editing, costume design, pacing, plot, score, dialogue, and lack of connection to the “Batman” source material.

The movie made just $82 million against a $100 million production budget.

“Catwoman” earned seven Golden Raspberry Awards (“Razzies”), which recognize the worst films in the industry. The superhero flick took home the title for Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Berry), Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay.

Berry told Entertainment Weekly about her experience with the “Catwoman” fallout. 

“I didn’t love [the backlash],” the Academy Award winner said. “Being a black woman, I’m used to carrying negativity on my back, fighting, being a fish swimming upstream by myself. I’m used to defying stereotypes and making a way out of no way.”

“I didn’t want to be casual about it, but I went and collected that Razzie, laughed at myself, and kept it moving,” Berry added. “It didn’t derail me because I’ve fought as a black woman my whole life.”

She said, “A little bad publicity about a movie? I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t going to stop my world or derail me from doing what I love to do.”

The “Monster’s Ball” actress also addressed the movie’s negative reviews, saying she didn’t think it was fair that people blamed her.

“Growing up as a black woman, that’s two strikes against you,” she said. “There’s an innate resilience. I hated that it got all put on me, and I hate that, to this day, it’s my failure. I know I can carry it.”

“I still have a career 20 years later,” she added. “It’s just part of my story. That’s okay, and I’ve carried other failures and successes. People have opinions, and sometimes they’re louder than others. You just have to keep moving.”

Berry also described winning a Razzie as “painful” and said she felt like a “failure.” The actress said she went overseas to escape.

“We flew to this little harbor town in Scotland, took a ferry to an island, and a guy picked us up in a car and said, ‘Oh, I hear you’re a movie producer!’ My son said, ‘Yeah, my mommy made Catwoman!’ The driver goes, ‘Oh, sorry to hear that. I heard it was a piece of sh**.’” 

She added, “I laughed and thought, ‘Thank you, universe.’ There’s no escape. I’ve got to deal with this. I came home and thought, I’m going to go to work — then, I made another movie.”