Halle Berry is a woman of many talents, known for her acting abilities, timeless beauty, and athleticism. She is the first and only African-American to win an Oscar for Best Actress. Now, the star can add director to her list of titles.
Variety reports that Berry is making her feature directorial debut with the upcoming mixed martial arts drama Bruised , which is set to begin production in March 2019. Berry also stars in and produces the movie.
Bruised is written by Michelle Rosenfarb and tells the story of a disgraced MMA fighter named Jackie, aka Justice. According to Complex , Jackie, played by Berry, has to face up to a rising-star MMA rival and the difficulties of motherhood.
Berry will work with the fight choreographers of the John Wick series. The actress recently took to Instagram to share a post about the intensity of her training for her role as Sofia in the upcoming John Wick 3 , opposite Keanu Reeves. In the recent post, Berry appears in a photo in workout gear, staring intensely over one shoulder into the camera, and shares insights from her training.
“#Sofia has been my most physically challenging role to date. I have never trained this hard before in my life, and I’ve become a better person for it – challenges like this keep us youthful, energized, confident – it helps us realize we can do more than we ever thought.”
Berry continues, “this film has introduced me to some of the most experienced athletes and stunt men / women I have ever worked with. Take today to consider people who take you out of your comfort zone, find something you feel you cannot do and create an opportunity for yourself to do it. My sore muscles are here to tell you that you CAN.”
It’s a busy time for Berry. In addition to her work on Bruised and John Wick , she is also going to star in Sony’s remake of the 1985 movie Jagged Edge .
Berry also launched a series called #PHITtalks on Instagram with her personal trainer Peter Lee Thomas. The duo answers questions from Halle’s 3.4 million followers about her fitness routines and approaches to healthy living.
Earlier this year, Thomas told People that 52-year-old Berry made a lasting impression on him with her athletic abilities. Thomas said when he discovered Berry’s age, he was “absolutely shellshocked because she has the discipline and athleticism of a 25-year old.” Berry’s physical prowess is sure to come in handy for her upcoming roles.