Halle Berry became a big name after a string of supporting roles in the 90s with the superhero film X-Men in 2000. Berry played the iconic X-Men character Storm and it is arguably her most popular role. However, she would also be remembered for playing one of the most iconic Bond girls in 2002’s Die Another Day.
Berry starred opposite Pierce Brosnan in the film, and her role as Jinx was different from others in the past as she helped move the plot instead of being reduced to a damsel in distress. However, Berry faced an embarrassing moment during an intimate scene with Brosnan in the film.
Halle Berry Embarrassingly Got Choked While Filming Intimate Scene in Die Another Day
After her fantastic turn as Beast in 2000’s X-Men, Halle Berry entered another iconic franchise James Bond with Pierce Brosnan‘s Die Another Day. Berry played NSA agent Jinx in the film who teamed up with Bond to find out a mole in the British intelligence, leading to some shocking revelations and fun action.
The film had a lovemaking scene between Brosnan and Berry’s character at one point in the film. Despite the scene turning out to be sexy and appealing on-screen, Berry had one terrible instance during the shooting of it, which was embarrassed by. In an interview with UPI, the actress detailed how she nearly died during the sequence.
Berry revealed that she was extremely committed to making the scene and their chemistry with Brosnan work to make it sexy. However, at one point something got stuck in her throat and she started choking. Brosnan immediately realized the danger she was in and helped her get the thing out of her throat. Berry said,
“We were doing the love scene and I was trying to be way too sexy for my own good, obviously,” Berry remembered according to UPI. “And something got stuck in my throat and I wasn’t getting any air in or out and Pierce said that he always knew that if someone wasn’t coughing they were really choking. And he just right away jumped up in back of me, did something, and out the thing came.”
The film itself received mixed reviews. While Brosnan and Berry’s performances were praised, fans were not impressed by the overuse of CGI and some illogical action sequences. Nevertheless, it was a box office hit grossing $431 million (via Box Office Mojo) against a $142 million budget.
Halle Berry Chose to Be in Die Another Day Due to its Unique Approach to a Bond Girl
Halle Berry‘s entry into the James Bond franchise with Die Another Day signaled a change in the portrayal of Bond girls in the franchise. Instead of being just a subject of fanciful obsession for Bond to have fun with. Berry’s Jinx was presented as a capable woman who could stand toe to toe with Bond during their mission.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Berry revealed that this unique and bold change to her Bond girl was why she decided to do the film. In addition to being in an iconic franchise such as Bond, the fact that Barbara Broccoli approached her with an active and strong Bond Girl was the icing on the cake. Berry said,
“I was really excited about Bond because that’s a franchise that’s iconic. It’s a part of film history, really, so to be a part of that franchise was very meaningful to me. And this version of a Bond woman was very different than any Bond woman I had seen before. When Barbara Broccoli came to me with the role, she explained that I would get to be a different kind – a new kind – of Bond girl. Which would allow me to be more active and sort of be… working alongside Bond in a new way, and that really excited me.”
As of 2024, Berry has two projects ready for release. Firstly, she has the action comedy The Union directed by Julian Farino where she will start alongside Mark Wahlberg. The film will be released on Netflix on August 16, 2024. Berry will also lead the upcoming horror-thriller film Never Let Go which will be released in theatres on September 27, 2024
Fans can watch Berry and Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day on Max.
