Halle Berry Talks About The Need For Representation At 2022 Critics Choice Awards [Watch]

Halle Berry received the prestigious SeeHer award at this year's Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, and the actor used the opportunity to call for representation in Hollywood.

Berry took the stage to give her acceptance speech after being presented with the award by Issa Rae, and shared a behind-the-scenes story about how she came to star in her 2020 directorial debut, "Bruised," according to ET Online.

“I read the script for 'Bruised' for the first time… I realized the part wasn’t meant for me. ‘Why not me?’ I inquired of the producers. I summoned the courage to say, ‘Why can’t it be a black woman?’ They said, ‘Why not?’ Later, they told me, ‘Go find a director.’ And finally, I summoned the courage to say, ‘Why not me?’ They said, ‘Why not?'” she remembered.

"Finally, when the film came out, I asked someone what he thought of the movie. He said, 'I have a hard time watching a woman getting battered and beaten. It made me feel uncomfortable.'"

"And in that moment, I knew exactly why I had to tell the story. I knew exactly the power of the story. Because I said, 'If you had a hard time, if it made you uncomfortable watching that story, imagine being that woman, living that story,'" she continued.

Berry, who has been in Hollywood for over 30 years, added that she "used to think if I could play the part of a white man, I was winning. Do you want to know why that didn't work? Because if you didn't know, I am not a white man."

"So for those roles to work, they would have to be substantially changed. It would have to be written with the reality of my journey, in all its beauty and all of its pain. This is why I am so grateful to be standing and living in this moment where women are standing up and we are telling our own stories. Because you know why? We will write, we will produce, we will direct, and if we are brave enough, we will star in it, all at the same time!" Berry continued.

"We will tell stories that capture us fully in all of our multitudes and contradictions. We are confident and we're scared. We are vulnerable and we're strong. We are beautiful and we're bruised. We're everything and all of it -- and all at the same time! Because if we deny our complexity, then we deny our humanity. We won't always be pretty and we will never be perfect. But what we will be is always honest and true, no matter how uncomfortable that makes you," Berry declared, while the audience erupted in cheers.

She then concluded her speech by dedicating the SeeHer honor to "every little girl who feels unseen and unheard."

"This is our way of saying, to you, we love you and we see you! And you deserve every good thing in this world!" the "Catwoman" star said as she walked off the stage to a standing ovation.

According to the Critics' Choice Awards, the annual SeeHer Award "honors a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries."

"Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry continues to break down barriers acting in a multitude of critically acclaimed, diverse roles and most recently added the title of ‘director’ to her already impressive filmography," the organization said in a press release announcing their plans to celebrate Berry.

Before the "Kidnap" star, five other actors were honored with the prestigious award. Violа Dаvis (2017), Gаl Gаdot (2018), Clаire Foy (2019), Kristen Bell (2020), аnd Zendаyа (2021) are the past recipients of it.