Halle Berry looked bloodied and battered in the first images released ahead of her new Netflix martial arts movie Bruised.
The actress, 54, also revealed how she broke ribs while filming her directorial debut, and that she wasn’t supposed to star in it originally,
She told Entertainment Weekly that she took over the main role from Blake Lively, who the project had been conceived for.
Shocking: Halle Berry looked bloodied and battered in the first images released ahead of her new Netflix martial arts movie Bruised
Halle stars in the film as disgraced MMA fighter Jackie Justice, who has to face one of the rising stars of the MMA world while caring for her six-year-old son.
The actress completely transformed for the role, getting into the ‘best shape of her life’ physically while also sporting extensive prosthetic injuries.
One snap shows Halle sporting a painful looking black eye and bloodied nose while in the ring fighting an opponent.
One to watch: Halle stars in the film as disgraced MMA fighter Jackie Justice, who has to face one of the rising stars of the MMA world while caring for her six-year-old son
In her EW interview, she said: ‘They gave me the script and I loved the story, but it was written for a twentysomething Irish Catholic white woman.
‘I couldn’t get it out of my mind, so I thought, is it possible that this could be reimagined for someone like me? Because I think I have a take on it that could actually work – making it about a middle-aged black woman, someone fighting for a last chance rather than another chance.’
The Oscar-winning star continued: ‘When you’re young we all get chances, they’re a dime a dozen. But when you’re at a certain stage in life it becomes more impactful and meaningful, right?
‘So about six months later when (Lively) decided in her own time that it wasn’t for her, I went to the producer, Basil Iwanyk, who I’d just done John Wick 3 with, and gave him my pitch. And he said, ‘Great, we love that idea. Now go find a director.”
Ouch! After getting into the best shape of her life for the role, she told the outlet she broke two ribs on the first day of shooting
The X-Men actress met with a dozen potential directors but the avid combat sports fan felt that nobody could fulfil her view of the project and decided to get behind the camera herself.
Halle recalled: ‘I had to go back and say, ‘I’ve tried really hard, but what’s in my head, no one else sees. This is going to sound really crazy because it’s crazy for me to even think it, but I think I should direct this.”
After getting into the best shape of her life for the role, she told the outlet she broke two ribs on the first day of shooting.
Unlike when she fractured her ribs during the shooting of 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum, she pushed through the pain.
Going strong: Halle said she is ‘proof’ that the entertainment industry is changing for women over 40
Speaking of her injury on the set of Wick, she said: ‘I told the director about it, they told the insurance. We had to shut down for months and it was a big ordeal. On this, because it was an independent movie, we didn’t have a big budget.
‘The director in me said, ‘I didn’t come this far and work this hard to go home!”
She also said that she is ‘proof’ that the entertainment industry is changing for women over 40, just days ahead of her 55th birthday on Saturday.
While Hollywood is notorious for ageism, the Oscar-winning actress raved that her career is still thriving after wrapping Bruised.
‘It used to be when you were 40 your career was done … and I mean really done. Or you had to wait until you were old enough to play a grandma, and then you could have another bite at the apple, right?,’ she told EW.
She added: ‘I mean, I couldn’t think that I’d be playing an MMA fighter at 54 years old. Yet I did, so it’s got to be changing. I’m proof of that.’
Exciting: In addition to serving as the serving as the leading lady for the upcoming drama, the star stepped behind the camera to make her directorial debut