Forget all the controversy about Robert Downey’s blackface turn in Tropic Thunder. Halle Berry believes she’s got at least one more hysterical Oscar speech in her, and since Catwoman somehow didn’t get the job done, she’s following one of the tried-and-true paths to award season glory: mental illness.
No, we’re not referring to her announced plan to shave her head on camera in the romantic comedy Nappily Ever After, although that may earn her some bonus points if she goes through with it. ("I still struggle with this hair issue," she said. "I'm going to get the lesson on film, and hopefully other women will get it, too.") It’s her next project that sounds like a crazy cocktail of Sybil, Fight Club and American History X.
Variety reports that Berry will star in the psychological thriller Frankie and Alice, which “follows a young woman struggling with multiple personality disorder and torn between who she is and a racist Caucasian alter-personality that preys upon her mind.” Folks, this could be a camp classic for the ages. We can only hope Berry’s alternate personalities are visualized onscreen – not because it would be a great directorial decision (no director has been named so far), but just to see what sort of outcry might develop over the prospect of Berry in whiteface. And if her racist alter ego is a skinhead, well, shaving her head shouldn’t be a problem, right?