Rest assured, Halle Berry, 53, did not get in a bar fight, or any of the other common scenarios that would lead to a black eye. The Oscar-winning actress had a much cooler reason for sporting a big swollen purple eye on a sidewalk in New Jersey on Nov. 26 — she’s making her feature directorial debut! Halle was actually just getting into character for the new movie she’s directing, producing and starring in, called — appropriately — Bruised. That also explained her athletic sweats!
In Halle’s directorial debut, she plays Jackie “Justice,” a “disgraced” MMA fighter down on her luck who suddenly has to deal with the surprise return of her 6-year-old son and a fight against an up-and-coming MMA star, according to the new project’s IMDb page. While professional makeup was responsible for Halle’s bruised eye, she did suffer a real injury while filming her own stunts for a fight scene!
“Thank you to all the folks that have showered me with love since my injury. It’s par for the course when you do your own stunts, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just know I’m far from tired. I’m wide awake…and just getting started! 💪🏽🙏🏽,” Halle wrote in an Instagram post on Nov. 20, assuring fans that she was A-OK after all. However, Halle did have to take a “slight break” from her weekly “Fitness Friday” Instagram posts due to the physical setback, she revealed in another Instagram post on Nov. 22. For that Friday, Halle instead shared a photo of herself delivering a powerful high-kick and gave a shout-out to MMA veteran Rob Constance, who also consulted on Bruised!
Before going on a “Fitness Friday” hiatus, Halle shared a photo of her “ripped abs” while prepping for the physical demands of Bruised. Halle is not sparing any excuses for this new role, because she’s also enlisting the help of the team behind the fight choreography in the John Wick action movie series for her new movie, according to our sister publication Deadline. Halle recently starred in the series’ third installment, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, which was released in theaters in May.