X-Men Star Halle Berry Reflects on Bryan Singer Controversy

Time often reveals new truths – which has certainly been the case for Fox’s X-Men franchise. As social movements have pressed forward, a look back at the milestone release of the 2000 X-Men movie has revealed a much darker story of a production ensnared in the troubled behavior of director Bryan Singer. A recent expose fully broke down just what kind of chaotic and outright abusive environment that Singer allegedly created on the X-Men set, which led to now-infamous moments like the cast nearly quitting the series – and of course, X-Men star Halle Berry cursing Singer out.

Now Halle Berry is speaking up on her experiences making X-Men with Singer, and letting her side of the story be known. As Berry told Variety:

“Bryan’s not the easiest dude to work with,” Berry said. “I mean, everybody’s heard the stories — I don’t have to repeat them — and heard of his challenges, and what he struggles with. I would sometimes be very angry with him. I got into a few fights with him, said a few cuss words out of sheer frustration. When I work, I’m serious about that. And when that gets compromised, I get a little nutty. But at the same time, I have a lot of compassion for people who are struggling with whatever they’re struggling with, and Bryan struggles.”

Rather than just circling the accusations that Singer sexually abused one (or more) young men while making his X-Men films, Berry instead discussed the larger pattern of the director’s unprofessional behavior:

“Sometimes, because of whatever he’s struggling with, he just didn’t always feel present,” she explained. “He didn’t feel there. And we’re outside in our little ‘X-Men’ stage freezing our ass off in Banff, Canada, with subzero weather and he’s not focusing. And we’re freezing. You might get a little mad.”

As one previous source added, it was 20th Century Fox’s repeated accommodation of Singer and his behaviors that ultimately created a “monster”:

“His behavior was poor on the movie,” one unnamed producer told THR. “We accommodated him on the first movie, and therefore we can accommodate him on the second movie. And on and on. And it created a monster.”

In that sense, Halle Berry doesn’t let anyone – even herself – off the hook when it comes to addressing what kind of practices were allowed to occur in Hollywood, on or off the set:

“Clearly, things need to change. And what we as women were acquiescing to, and were allowing needs to change. And it needed to get blown up. And people needed to be outed.”

The X-Men movie franchise will get a fresh start under Disney and Marvel Studios… eventually.