Halle Berry's Early Career Nearly Derailed By Car Crash And Lawsuit

Summary

• Halle Berry was involved in a hit-and-run car accident in 2000, pleaded no contest, and faced consequences like probation, fines, and community service.
• The other driver alleged she was impaired, but no evidence supported that claim, and the incident didn't affect her successful career.
• Despite setbacks like the infamous Catwoman movie, Halle Berry's career has rebounded with successful roles and business ventures.

Halle Berry was involved in a hit-and-run on February 23, 2000. The Oscar-winning actress pleaded no contest to charges of leaving the scene of the West Hollywood car accident.

The other driver involved in the collusion alleged that Halle was impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time. However, there was no evidence of the other driver's allegations. She was 31 years old when the accident happened, just two years before she won the Academy Award for her role in Monster's Ball.

The Catwoman actress was placed on three years probation, was fined $13,500, and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. Luckily, it didn't impact her successful career, and the incident is not often spoken about.

The Los Angeles accident left Halle with a forehead injury that required 22 stitches, while the other driver suffered a broken wrist and other injuries and had to be assisted at the scene by a medical team.

What Happened During Halle Berry's Car Accident

According to reports at the time, Halle Berry was driving a rented sports utilised vehicle when she ran a red light and collided with the other car. The driver of the other vehicle alleged that Halle fled the scene in her rented white Chevy Blazer without checking the woman's condition. The paperwork also alleges that Halle did not report her 2 am accident to the authorities.

Lawyers working for the Moonfall actress stated Halle doesn't remember what happened during the incident due to the head injury sustained during the crash. Lawyers argued that their client could not be held responsible if she didn't remember what happened.

A spokesman for the actress said, "She is very sorry. Halle is taking this seriously. She is particularly concerned at reports she might not have been the only person hurt."

"If anyone else was injured, she is deeply sorry and hopes they make a speedy and full recovery."

At the time, there were rumors that Halle had been involved in another hit-and-run incident, but her team shot down the gossip. “Before this incident, Halle was involved in precisely one other car accident in her entire life, and a traffic investigation at the time cleared her of any wrongdoing,” Halle's lawyer, Berk said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

How Catwoman Nearly Ruined Halle Berry's Career

Another career setback for Halle Berry was her appearance in Catwoman. It is considered one of the worst movies ever made, losing money at the box office and earning Worst Picture and Worst Director at the Golden Raspberry Awards. When she accepted her Golden Raspberry Award in 2005 for her performance in Catwoman, she turned up at the ceremony and gave an iconic speech.

Critic Bill Muller framed his review as if it were a letter from the Academy demanding that Halle Berry return her Oscar due to her “wanton, reckless, and repeated dramatic incompetence”

In a 2021 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Halle Berry admitted she felt burdened with the movie's failure. “I didn't direct it, I didn't produce it, nor did I write it. I was just the actress in it. But for all these years, I have carried the weight of that film. And whatever success it had or didn’t have somehow seemed like it was all my fault.”

The actress doesn't see Catwoman as a total failure. When collecting an award from the New York Women in Communication organization in 2018, Halle admitted, “While it failed to most people, it wasn't a failure for me because I met so many interesting people that I wouldn't have met otherwise."

"I learned two forms of martial arts, and I learned not what to do.”

She also admitted the $14 million she was paid for the superhero movie changed her life, and the character helped her feel empowered after learning her then partner, singer Eric Benét, had been unfaithful.

Why The Halle Berry Effect Tarnished Her Career

Halle Berry's career was in such a bad place after Catwoman, she was thought to be box office poison. The term "Halle Berry Effect" was coined to describe actors whose careers went downhill after winning an Academy Award. To earn this title, their bad films had to have been released within two years of their Oscar win.

Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren and Hilary Swank were also tarnished with the same label after their Oscar win, which was followed by lacklustre choices and bland action blockbusters.

Halle's role as NSA agent Jinx in the James Bond flick Die Another Day helped Halle become a household name, but it's now considered one of the worst movies in the franchise's long history. Her dramatic roles in Gothika and Perfect Stranger were both critical and commercial failures.

Halle Berry's career has since turned around and the movie star landed a role opposite Mark Wahlberg for Netflix's hit movie The Union, that see Halle kick butt as a secret agent.

Halle Berry's Exes Arrested For Fighting

Halle Berry also received bad press when her ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry was arrested after a “brutal” fight reportedly involving him and the actress’s fiancé Olivier Martinez in 2012. While she was not involved in any further court proceedings, the men in her life were.

The violence happened outside the couple’s LA home on Thanksgiving after Aubrey dropped off their then-four-year-old daughter Nahla. The couple had been involved in a tense custody battle at the time. Both men were hospitalized, with Martinez allegedly knocked unconscious.

"Olivier blocked [Gabriel's punch] and the punch struck him in the shoulder instead... Gabriel then pushed Olivier to the ground, a struggle ensued, ending when Olivier pinned Gabriel to the ground," a source told TMZ.

Following a call to the police, Olivier Martinez was said to have made a "citizen's arrest for battery" against Gabriel, before he was taken to hospital. After the police responded to a report of an assault, they arrested the French model Gabriel, before releasing him on $20,000 bail.

What followed was a vicious decade-long battle between Halle and her ex Gabriel and later Oliver. Halle was initially ordered to pay Gabriel $16,000 per month plus a lump sum of $115,000 in 2014.