Brad Anderson’s The Call, a particularly fine little thriller in the doldrums of March, sports a welcome return for thriller-maven Halle Berry. Sure Berry is a so-called ‘serious actor’; but in between her “Things We Lost In The Fire” and “Monster’s Ball”, she has a penchant for mixing it up with decidedly and proudly ‘B’ pictures. The Rich Man’s Wife, Gothika, Swordfish, Perfect Stranger, Dark Tide… In The Call, the newest and best of this bunch, Berry stars as Jordan Turner – a 911 operator, whose mishandling of a call leaves a young girl dead and Berry/Jordan beyond shaken. Cut to six-months later and Jordan finds herself once again on the other line attempting to help a young girl (Abigail Breslin) out of the clutches of a madman. It’s a difficult role – in that for a majority of the film, Berry is seated behind a computer, on the phone while all the action occurs elsewhere. Ostensibly, Berry is acting and reacting opposite a phone -- and she sells it for all it’s worth. A serious actress indeed.
In the following interview with Berry, she reveals her favorite thrillers, the importance of spelling for 911 operators and how big her role will be in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past. For the full interview, hit the jump.
Of note: this interview was conducted before Berry officially signed onto X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Halle Berry Time Index:
- 00:00 – Berry’s favorite thriller films
- 01:15 – How much research did Berry do for the part?
- 01:38 – Berry on training to be a 911 Operator
- 02:32 – Berry on X-Men: Days of Future Past
