Halle Berry says directing 'Bruised' has been her greatest achievement

Halle Berry has opened up about her soon to debut film 'Bruised' where she doubles as director and protagonist.

Speaking at the ELLE magazine's 27th Annual Women In Hollywood Celebration, the Academy award-winning actress described directing 'Bruised' as one of her biggest film achievements.

“There are so many times where we, as women, don’t think we have the right to direct,” Berry explained. “A director is a man’s job. We can’t do that. We can only be the dancing fucking bear. Well, you know what? We can be more than the dancing fucking bear. We can be in charge. We can tell our stories from our point of view and if you don’t get it, so what. Listen and learn and learn from another perspective.”

Berry also highlighted the challenges she faced during production while thanking fellow attendees for their support via their work.

“It has been my honor and privilege to direct my first film,” she continued, “And you know what, I learned along the way that it’s fucking hard. I appreciate you speaking, Patty [Jenkins], telling me how hard it is, so I know.

"For a while I thought, I’m in a vacuum. It’s only been hard for me. It’s not hard for me. It’s hard for all of us, and it’s hard for all of us as women to find our voice and step into our power. I had to learn how to do that in the last two and a half years. It has challenged me in ways that I didn’t know I’d be challenged. I had to understand and learn who I was and what I was made of. I’m proud to say that I got to the other side of it…”

In the sports drama written by first-time feature writer Michelle Rosenfarb, Berry plays Jackie Justice, a mixed martial arts fighter who has retired from the sport in shame.

Years later, she's down on her luck and simmering with rage and regret, watching as her manager and boyfriend Desi (Adan Canto) coaxes her into a nasty underground bout, attracting the attention of a fight league promoter (Shamier Anderson) who offers her a chance to fight again. The journey to forgiveness gets unexpectedly personal when Manny (Danny Boyd Jr.), the son she gave up as a newborn, shows up on her doorstep following the death of his father.

'Bruised' premiered on Netflix on November 24 and in theatres on November 14, 2021.