Halle Berry Reflects on How This Character She Played In a Big-Budget Film Marked a “Big Step Forward” for Black Women in Hollywood

Halle Berry was new to Hollywood 30 years ago when she starred in 1994’s The Flintstones as Fred Flintstone’s seductive secretary, Sharon Stone (not to be confused with the actress of the same name). In reflecting on the movie’s thirtieth anniversary, Berry took to Instagram to celebrate, remarking that the character was a “big step” for Black women in the entertainment industry, The Hollywood Reporter writes.

The live-action movie starred John Goodman as Fred Flintstone and was based on the 1960s cartoon series of the same name. “I thought it might be really cool to look at some of my scenes, because I legit haven’t seen this movie in probably 20 years,” Berry said in an Instagram video yesterday.

After watching the first clip, Berry commented on the film’s music, her character’s voice, and her “iconic” haircut in the movie before acknowledging the impact of her casting: “Being a Black woman in Bedrock seemed like a little thing but, you know, The Flintstones was the fabric of our culture,” she said. “I knew that this was a big step forward for Black people, Black women especially.” 

She added, “While it was silly, and it was over the top and campy, I knew then how important this little part in this big movie actually would be.”

Five years after its release, Berry’s role as the titular character in 1999’s Introducing Dorothy Dandridge won her a Golden Globe and an Emmy, and her role two years later as Leticia Musgrove in 2001’s Monster’s Ball earned her the 2002 Best Actress Oscar—the first and still, unfortunately, only Black woman to win the award. 

Berry may not have won an Oscar or an Emmy or a Golden Globe for her role in The Flintstones, but she was nonetheless making impact. Of the film—which also starred Rick Moranis, Rosie O’Donnell, Elizabeth Perkins, Kyle MacLachlan, and Elizabeth Taylor in what would become her final film role—Berry said that “You guys message me every year about The Flintstones film, so I thought I’d do something special for the 30th anniversary,” she said. “Love you all for loving Miss Stone all this time.”

Berry added that the role “was so young me” (she was 27 at the time, for the record)—and, by the way, it’s interesting to note that the real Sharon Stone was intended to play the onscreen Sharon Stone, but she “couldn’t do the film due to scheduling conflicts,” Entertainment Weekly reports. And while The Flintstones received a mixed response from critics, it was a big hit with audiences, earning more than $340 million at the worldwide box office. 

“Everyone said ‘Oh why would you want to do a movie based on a cartoon?’” Berry wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) two years ago, adding that the character of Miss Stone was “the blueprint.” She continued “To see 28 years later that this character has become so beloved and has resonated with so many of you is so gratifying draped in brown.”