You Won’t Believe The Dangerous Thing Halle Berry Did to Prepare for ‘Jungle Fever’
The Oscar winner reveals the extraordinary lengths she went to for her role as a ‘crack ho.’
by Stephanie Holland · The RootHalle Berry started her career in the early ‘90s with guest appearances in sitcoms. She finally got a chance to show off her dramatic acting chops in Spike Lee’s 1991 film, “Jungle Fever.” She was crack addict Vivian, alongside Samuel L. Jackson as fellow addict Gator.
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Even though it was a small part, the “X-Men” star wanted to deliver the best performance possible. To that end, she took an unorthodox approach to researching the character. During an interview with “Sway’s Universe,” she revealed that since she had no idea how to play a drug addict and had no experience with addiction, she went to “crack dens” so she could get a better understanding of that life. Her comments begin at the 6:20 mark in the video.
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“I was such a baby actor at that time, and I didn’t know the world of crack, you know what I mean? That’s a good thing. Served me well,” she said. “But I knew I wanted to be the crack ho’, but I knew nothing about it. So I went down and actually did some dangerous, dumb stuff — the older me would never do this — but the baby me went into some crack dens and sat up in there and got a dose of what that was.”
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Berry’s co-stars, including Jackson—who had his own battles with addiction—were not happy with her choices. She was met with the cast’s outraged response, “What the f—k is wrong? You did what? Why? It’s called acting!”
She also went a little method with Vivian’s hygiene, choosing not to shower, brush her teeth, or comb her hair, lengths she admits she wouldn’t go to nowadays. “She was nasty,” Berry said. “It’s kind of what I felt like I needed to do to connect to that.”
She revisited some of these themes a few years later in 1995’s “Losing Isaiah.” The Oscar winner plays Khaila, a crack addict who abandons her infant child, then attempts to regain custody several years later once she’s clean. Halle reflected on how that role took her talent to new heights, as well as how much she reveled in the work.
“That was a big jump for me,” she said. “I mean, ‘Jungle Fever’ gave me Viv the crack ho.’ It was a start, and I love that.”
The “Monster’s Ball” actress is a groundbreaker who has paved the way for two generations of Black actors. Not only did she bust open doors previously closed to Black stars, she made sure they stayed open behind her. Even with all her popularity and accomplishments, it still feels like Halle hasn’t completely gotten her due as a gamee-changer. She’s a legit legend and everyone should give her a mountain of flowers.
Berry is currently promoting her new film, “Never Let Go,” which is currently playing in theaters.