Halle Berry on feeling like the film industry wanted to discard her: ‘A painful realization’

February 20, 2026

Halle Berry stars as Sharon in ‘Crime 101.’ (Merrick Morton)

Halle Berry is a successful insurance broker who doesn’t get the respect she deserves in the new film Crime 101.

Her character, Sharon, finally has enough of the poor treatment. Late in the film she stands up for herself to her boss, telling him exactly how she feels before quitting. Berry opened up to ABC Audio about the many ways she resonated with Sharon and this particular moment in the film.

“I am a woman of a certain age down the path of life, and I have felt very much what Sharon has felt probably since I turned 40, 45,” Berry said. “I started to feel like my industry, that I love so much, was kinda lowkey kinda telling me, ‘We don’t really have a place for you. There are no parts. You’re not young. You’re not quite old enough to be grandma. So there’s no place for you.'”

The Oscar winner said that she “worked so hard to arrive to that place” of success in the industry.

“To feel that I would now be discarded was a painful realization,” Berry said.

Despite this, Berry said she made a conscious choice to not allow that to happen to her.

“There was some point in that period where I said, ‘No, screw this. I will not allow this to happen.’ And I pushed through, and I managed to not allow that to be my story,” Berry said. “I really related to Sharon deciding to stand up for herself.”

Berry feels other women who see the film will similarly relate to Sharon’s story.

“It was a moral question that she had to face, but I think in that moment she chose to do what was best for her and I really respected her for that,” Berry said. “I think women will feel seen, they’ll feel heard, and they will cheer for her.”

Crime 101 is available to watch in theaters everywhere.