Buzz exclusive: it's Halle's world

What made you get involved with Chivas Venture?

One, they asked me. (laughs) Two, I have known about this venture from the beginning and they have done such amazing work with the last two ventures and certainly you don’t expect an alcohol company to get into such initiatives.

When I look at the statistics and everything that they have done, I decided I want to be a part of this, not as a judge and give out the money but I also want to learn, hear what changes people are making in the world and inspire me to think of better ways I can get involved as well. 

What are you looking for from the finalists?

Looking for passion from the contestants. Understand why they decided to get into the different initiatives that they are involved in and what good they will do in the world. Also want to know how many people the initiatives will impact and how do they sustain themselves. I am an actor and I know passion when I see or hear it and I really want the money to go to the person who has the most passion and will impact a lot more people. I know all the contestants are passionate but there are levels to it. 

What are you bringing to the table in terms of judging?

I think I bring in a different point of view and I believe that is valuable. I may not come from the business world like the other judges but I believe that is what makes my actual input actually valuable. 

You are very involved in humanitarian projects and use your name and brand to help the needy, what really motivated you to get involved?

Being a person of colour in this country, I have always related to people who are subjugated in some way or another. People who have gone without, been discriminated against because of who they are and so I have a natural propensity to want to help the needy.

My mother was a psych warden in a VA hospital when I was growing up and I saw her helping the Vietnam veterans who were being mistreated after all they had for the country. That instilled in me the need to help and give back to those who are less fortunate. I hope I can also pass it to my children since this is a seed that is planted early on when you are little. As parents, it is our responsibility to raise adults who have empathy and who care and want to make a difference in the world. 

Should this be left to the influential members of the society like you?

Everyone is responsible of making a difference in the world. I have a hard time listening to people talk about what’s wrong with the world today and they do not even lift a finger to bring change. These are hard conversations that I have with people and I do not care what your position in life is, you can always do your part. Imagine if everyone did what they can, how different the landscape would be. 

We find people who get punished for doing their bit be they normal people or mega celebrities like you. A good example is NFL star Colin Kapernick who many believe is paying for standing up for how police kill black people...

 I think you just said it, no matter what you do, you will be punished. I think you just need to operate within your own moral compass and do what you believe is right always. But also, let us be mindful and respectful of others and not push our agenda so forcifully that we disregard the feelings of others; but have your opinion and die by that. Let us not worry about what others will say because we will be criticised no matter what we do. 

What was the movie that inspired you to be an actress?

At that age, being an actress was the furthest thing from my imagination because I never saw women who looked like me on television. That changed when I watched a TV show called Julia, starring Diahann Carroll and it hit me that that was a black girl on TV, and that was really impactful. She was also a nurse like my mother and that had more impact and I realised as a black woman, I could be on TV and that is where my interest started though I never thought I could get this far. 

You won an Oscar and it seems like more would follow but that hasn’t exactly panned that way. Did your win really change anything?

I was hopeful that there would be more women of colour to stand by me 15 years later. But there have been women of colour who have won in other categories like Lupita, Viola Davis and others. We are also seeing more filmmakers of colour coming up but a lot more needs to be done. I wish there were like five women like me in that category. The more black actors and directors come up, the more opportunities will come. But I do not measure success with how many awards we have on the table. Change will come. 

Your face is everywhere in Los Angeles thanks to your new movie, Kidnapped, do you ever get used to seeing your face on a billboard?

It never gets old. I always go, ‘Oh God, there she is” whenever I see my face on a billboard, it is a surreal feeling. Though my daughter doesn’t understand why I am on a billboard. She sees me and goes “Mummy, that’s you, do you know that is you there?” 

You are not ‘The’ Halle Berry to her like the rest of the world?

No. I am just mummy and probably the only thing she saw me do was with Elmo on Sesame Street because she has never seen any of my movies. She even gets perplexed by the attention and even wonders why people ask me to take pictures or even just ask questions. She knows I act but hasn’t connected the dots yet. 

Have you listened to ‘Kill Jay Z’, what do you think of the ‘Never go Eric Benet’ line?

Laughs. I do not have a comment for that one. I love Jay Z, put that down. (In the song, Jay Z ribs singer Eric Benet for letting Halle Berry go years ago.)