Oscar winner Halle Berry told a Red Sea International Film Festival audience that she might return to Saudi Arabia to shoot upcoming action thriller Maude v Maude with fellow co-star and co-producer Oscar winner Angelina Jolie.
Speaking in a masterclass at the festival, Berry revealed that she had scouted some locations in Jeddah’s historic old town and had some ideas that might be useful. “Warner Bros bought our screenplay, so we have the chance to go around the world and we want to go into places that have never been shot or seen before” said the Monster’s Ball actress.
Maude v Maude will be directed by Shadow In The Cloud filmmaker Roseanne Liang. Berry described it as a blend of Mr And Mrs Smith and Mission Impossible with a comedy twist and two women in the leading roles. “I am thrilled to work with these women. The film crafts the story from our sensibility, which is great,” said Berry.
Berry said she is looking forward to working with Jolie on the film. “She is formidable, I can’t wait to battle with her physically and intellectuality.”
Last year, Berry launched her own production company HalleHolly to produce film and TV series that centre around strong, female protagonists. She explained that launching HalleHolly had provided her with a sense of freedom she had longed for in the industry because she can now choose the projects and people she wants to work with.
Berry admitted that winning an Oscar 20 years ago hadn’t always allowed her to do this. “It didn’t do for me what it has done for others, and that goes back to being a Black woman”.
She also talked about the difficulties she had faced making Bruised, her directorial debut. “It would have been a lot easier if I were a man or white.”
Three years since making Bruised, Berry said her trip to Jeddah had inspired ideas for her second feature film as a director: “It’s a love story that deals with supernatural and time travel in the future,” she said.
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