Why Halle Berry Says She's Never Had a Birthday Party

28:08And so it brings back memories. I've got some really good Versace's that I've worn over the years, some Chanel's. I just wore a Christian Dior at Cannes Film Festival. I loved your looks at Cannes also. So fab. But I really loved my closing ceremony dress. It was white and very frilly, very romantic and covered like high neck. And it was just absolutely gorgeous. One of my favorites. So chic. And I love that you have that dress sort of there reminding you of all your power and everything. And that moment. It meant so much in my life. And my Siriano that I wore for Oscars last year, The Mirrors.

28:46That one was so good. Yeah, he's so talented. How do you approach, like, getting dressed for the red carpet, though? Like, do you ever have, like, a theme in mind? Do you want to feel something? Do you try to connect it to a moment in time? No. No, I kind of just, you know, play it, you know, year by year, event by event. I see what's out there, what's available. One thing I never do is I never want a designer to design something for me for those big moments like that. Because I had a bad experience once and I allowed someone to do that. And I didn't feel good in the dress. It just didn't come together in the right way.

29:26You know, all the hopes were high. It was beautiful. It looked beautiful on paper, but it didn't look right on my body. But yet I felt like I had to wear it because I agreed to. So that taught me that, no, I think I want to be able to try things on and see how I feel. You know, how do they fit my body? And then have like two or three and reserve the right for the day of to pick. What am I feeling today? We wake up feeling different ways every day. Especially when you're going to like a red carpet. You want to feel, you have to feel good so that you can actually wear the dress and not have the dress wear you and not feel awkward in it.

30:04Or maybe you had, you know, some ribs the night before and it's just not working today. Yes, exactly. You know, the bellies is not flat enough. I want to go back to this Laquan backup dress that you loved, the feathered dress. Where are you, have you been able to save it for something else? No, because I ended up, I wore it that day, you know, later for another event, another party, and I photographed it. So no. Okay. Because they were just both so beautiful. Yeah, she saw her time. You know, we couldn't decide. Yeah. Good. I'm glad that she got to be out there in the world, too. She had a moment.

30:37She had a moment. Mm-hmm. Yeah, but I loved the one he chose, too. I did. It was fab. I have to say I was, like, so impressed with the body prop that I had to go into it, probably. exfoliating, lotioning, whatever was involved. The moment you step on the carpet, I was like, oh, it's the prep that we have to do for these things. And that's the part where you think, is this going a little too far? Should I do this? But, you know, it's the Met. And it's Laquan. When else? When else do you get to like— We dress up and we're working. We're sitting in the basement. Yes. We can't avoid all the secrets of how the sausage gets made, Tiana.

31:11But now, okay, I just got to give it up to now with my girl, Tiana Taylor. Like she has reimagined what anybody can wear on the red carpet because I'm like. She makes me speechless. Oh, my God. I loved one battle after another. But also the fact that I was supposed to believe that this person that was Tiana, who is so incredible, is just like out there. I know she is out there in the world. But like. She's in the world. She's real. She's real. She's a real one. It was just so. I was like. I loved looking at her on my screen. And she's so fun. And I've had the privilege of interviewing her before.

31:45I love her so much. Oh, my gosh. I was a fan of hers back when she was dancing. And she was like, you know that video. I was like, yes. Do I? Girl. Yeah. So I'm so happy for her and her success and, you know, where she's headed. Couture season has recently ended. Was there anything from the shows that you're envisioning yourself wearing? Anything Dior. That's my new. I've been turned into a Dior girl Chanel Dior I never really you know sometimes I didn't think I was right for Chanel haven't always worn Chanel and I just as I've gotten a little down the path of life it's been more of I've been drawn more towards Chanel so I would say anything Chanel Dior right now well the ease of the most recent couture collection for Chanel was really incredible It felt like realistic.

32:41Wearable. Yes, wearable. The first model, Stephanie Cavalli, who I actually interviewed, walked the carpet with her gray hair. And it's not full gray. She has like salt and pepper. She is an absolute, I don't want to say doll. She's a star. She is a model. I talked to her on the phone, though, about the experience. She's so warm. And that entire expression. I wish I had the confidence to do that. Yes, that entire. Walked out with gray hair. Exactly. That entire expression starting off the show, I felt like finally said a lot. Yes, it said a lot. It said this is for every woman and you should feel comfortable in the clothing.

33:16It can be elevated. It can be beautiful. And it can be wearable. It's kind of like new era of people making things for the modern grown woman. Yes. And real bodies. Exactly. You know, real bodies. I love Giacomo's too. Like real bodies that can still be fashionable and fit, you know. Yeah. You can still play, though. I feel like for so long, people felt like they weren't spoken to or they had to wear a certain thing because of a certain body. And now it's like, you can have fun. I used to feel that some of these designers weren't really for me. But I no longer feel that way. I love the opening up of it all.

33:53The Run-Thru will be back in a moment.

33:59it. Sometimes people ask me which search terms I use whenever I'm on eBay. So I search a lot of deadstock. That's a term that I throw in there a lot. Deadstock means that no one's ever worn it before, but it is like an archival piece or it's a vintage piece. And so that's a great thing to find on eBay. There's a ton of deadstock vintage. And it's just kind of like comforting to know that like you're the first person taking this like piece on its maiden voyage even if it's 50 years old. eBay offers this departure from the everyday that ends up feeling totally you.

34:36And we're back with Halle Berry. Okay so you've had so many different hair looks. I know we were discussing a little pre-starting the role. So many incredible hair looks over the years. And your pixie is back in the conversation because pixies are trending. I've had so many people referencing that hairstyle in particular. Are you feeling the call, the sirens call to go back at all? Or like, what are some of your favorite hair moments? Or is right now your favorite hair moment? Because that's how you feel. And I hear I'm ahead of the curve because fringe is in right now. I didn't even know that was happening.

35:09So I'm on it. I'm ahead of the trend. But I love my pixie. I mean, that was defined my life and my career for a time. Cutting my hair into a pixie actually got me my first acting job. So I have a love affair with that pixie. And I will go back to the pixie when I'm ready to wear gray hair. I will go back to a short pixie. And I will do that. I'm not there yet, but one day I will go back to my pixie when I want to wear gray hair. I want a gray pixie. It's going to be a major moment. Yes. Like, you're going to look insane. Call us before, please. I can't mark on the line. I'm doing it. My heart and my brain just lit up.

35:50I also think about your BAPS hair. Was that, like, that wig? Like, I need to know everything. Like, was that the most intensive, like, wig situation that you've worn? Yeah. I would say, yeah, those wigs were, yeah, pretty. And Catwoman, too. I had some wigs in there. Storm, you know, that all white hair. It's hard to wear white hair. And do it right. But yeah, that Nisi hair was, that was fun for the time and, you know, started a thing. And still that people still like, that's a, those are, people dress up like that every year for Halloween. So it's like, you know, they're beloved, those two characters.

36:29Yeah. Do you feel like a major sense of transformation when you have to change your hair so intensely when you wear a wig like that? For me, my entry into every character is the hair. That's the first thing I have to figure out, honestly. Once I know the hair that's on that person's head, that tells me a lot about who they are. And then what they wear based on how their hair is. For me, hair is very, very important. And it changes your look so much. It can age you up, age you down. You can have an air of sophistication. You can have a boheme feel to you. It's like finding that hair that has an unspoken acknowledgement of who this character is, I think, just makes my job a little bit easier to try to figure it out.

37:09So with characters like Storm, I feel like their hair is really established. You know, obviously Storm had such a specific look. But with a character like Sharon, was that something that you got to help create the hair look, if that's sort of the entry point for you? And is it a conversation? I honestly don't know if, like, it says in a script, okay, this person has a bob haircut or whatever. It usually doesn't say that unless that haircut really is going to mean something to the story. Okay. You know? But I wanted to have her have a bob. I just when I thought about this insurance agent who is kind of buttoned up and is playing a role.

37:43And, you know, I just thought she would have something smart like that. And I think she was into fashion. And I just would. Oh, I took a picture of one of the tops that you were wearing and was like trying to Google reverse search at the black one. I was like, I want this shirt. And I had to pause the screener so I could Google reverse. She was the chicest insurance broker I've ever seen. to be fair. So if you see me on social media and your exact outfit from that scene. Halloween. Oh, not even Halloween. That's an everyday look. I was like, I loved it. Well, what I love about her was she was like a girl who loved fashion, but on a budget.

38:16So it was like she was just missing real fashion, but she was trying to be fashionable because she understood that part of her job was to go in and be fabulous and close these deals. And so part of that was her look. And for so long, she was okay with doing that. But at a certain point, that character felt like, okay, I've been doing this too many years. I am not going to be this dancing bear anymore. Just make me a partner because I'm done, you know. And then she found out. Yeah, and you had done or she had done the work. She had done the work. Thinking it was leading to something, you know, realizing, oh, it was just leading to pretty much nowhere.

38:51I think we can all see ourselves in her character in a way. From the age things and wanting something and knowing you've worked hard for it but then not achieving it. Getting what you deserve. And it doesn't matter what industry it is. And especially if you're of color. You know, we often feel like we have to work twice as hard. And to not be given what you deserve, I think, I hope as women, we are starting to be able to have enough confidence. And we're allowed to speak up for ourselves and not accept this anymore. No, 100%. And it's hard for us to do that. I get it. But we have to start. Got to start somewhere.

39:27We have to say, no, enough is enough. I want to shift gears a little bit and talk about the brand that you founded. I think it was like two years ago. Riespin. Yes, Riespin. And it was born out of a misdiagnosis. Will you tell us a little bit about that experience and how it ended to something, it ended up, you know, your trouble ended up creating something that helps other women? Well, I, you know, nobody had ever talked to me about menopause. Like, my ego made me think I was just going to skip it. You know, I was type 2 diabetic. I got myself off insulin and off oral medication. So I was feeling like my superpower.

40:06Like, if I just exercise and eat right and stay conscious, I will miss this whole menopause thing, whatever it is. I hadn't really spent much time even thinking about it. My mother never talked about it. Nobody I knew talked about it. So when I was 54 years old, I met my now partner, Van. And we were having the best time ever, the best relationship. And I was like, finally, I found my groove. You know, like still I got a groove. I found my person. And it was just amazing. And a year into our relationship, after a night of amazing sex, I went to go to the bathroom. And I felt like I had razor blades in my vagina.

40:48And I thought, what in the hell is happening? I had never felt this before. So, of course, right away I go to the doctor, and he looks up there, and he goes, Oh, yeah, I know what this is. I've seen this. I've seen this a lot. This is a really bad case of the herpes. And I was like, herpes? You're like, what? Yeah. I don't have herpes? It sounds like you were so attuned to your body. Yeah. Already. I was like, no, no, no. And he said, well, I hate to tell you, this is what it is. And I'm going to do the test, and I will get the results for sure, for sure. But this is what this is, I'm sure of it.

41:23So, of course, I go down. Van's in the car because it was so painful in there. I didn't even drive myself to the doctor. I couldn't even put my legs together. It was so blown up down there. So I go to him, and he's in the car. And I'm like, yo, so look, so you got herpes. Why didn't you tell me you had herpes? And he was like, I don't have herpes. I said, oh, oh, but you do have herpes. Because I just was told I have herpes, and I didn't have herpes before. I knew you, so you must have herpes. And we're in a new thing, and so we're both looking at each other like, I don't have it. I don't have it.

41:48And I'm like, you need to go get tested. We need to figure this out. So he goes and he gets tested. And we have 72 hours of both of us in a new relationship just kind of looking at each other like, you know, why wouldn't you tell me this? Like, you know, herpes isn't the worst thing in the world. There are ways you can work around having herpes to protect the other person who doesn't have herpes. Like it's not a deal breaker. It's just it's something you would think your person would tell you. So 72 hours later, he got the call first. His doctor said he did not have herpes. Oh, wow. He was like, well, looks like you're the one who has herpes, and thank God you didn't give it to me.

42:22And I just was like, oh, my God, how do I have herpes? How do I have herpes? Like, you know, I would never want to give you herpes. Then my doctor calls about an hour after that and says to me, Hallie, you don't have herpes. And I'm like, I don't? But my first question was, well, if it's not herpes, then what is that? And he said, I don't know. And it was that I don't know is what sent me into this tailspin and this reconnaissance mission to figure out, well, if you don't know what it is, then I've got to figure out what this is. Like, this is not the worst pain I've ever felt. I'm like, this is not okay.

42:58So that got me into realizing, oh, this is a symptom of menopause that like 60 % of women suffer dry everything. I have dry eyes, dry mouth, and dry vagina. And then I realized that a doctor before tried to tell me that I had Sjogren's disease because my mouth was dry. No, not Sjogren's. He's about to put me on steroids for the rest of my life with an autoimmune disease when it was just dry mouth from perimenopause. Then my eye doctor told me that my glands were drying up because of menopause, perimenopause. And if I didn't do something about it, guess what would have happened? My glands would dry up and I would have real severe issues with my eyesight.

43:38all because doctors don't really understand the menopausal body. And these are all things that you can deal with. Like, you know better, you do better. There's all things that we can deal with if we have the information, if we're educated, and if doctors go back to school and get retooled. Because I also learned in this process that only 13 % of doctors understand the menopausal body, and it's only one chapter in medical school. That's like half a day that they learn about a menopausal body. And as women, we now are understanding we spend half our lives in our menopausal body from 40 to 80. We're living to our 80s, and it starts late 30s, early 40s.

44:15We think that, oh, that menopause thing happens to me when I'm in my 50s or 60s. That's what I thought. Oh, no, no, ladies. It starts when our baby-making years are over, which is 35. Which is quite young. Yes. We start to lose our estrogen. And what my goal is, is to make sure that younger women your age, you start to understand that this is a chapter of your life that's coming. You can't do anything about it. It's nothing to be afraid of. It can be your best chapter yet, but you need to know what to do so that you can arrive at these years and not plummet. But you can just sort of sail into that and know all the things to take and the things to do so that you don't have to miss a beat.

44:53That's what I want for my daughter who turns 18 next month. Was it scary to start talking about this, though? I can imagine if growing up and throughout your entire life, no one had even really said the word menopause to you or perimenopause. Were you nervous? Okay. Yeah, I didn't know what it meant. I was like, well, what? Menopause, like, what does that mean? And then when I started to learn about what it meant, I realized, oh, my mother went through this. There was a time where I remember her having heart palpitations all the time and thinking she was going to have a heart attack. And I realized, oh, that was perimenopause and menopause, gone untreated, right?

45:28But I remember being afraid and scared for her. So, yeah, it's very scary. But I also learned with talking to some of the best doctors in the country, in the world even, who are doing extensive research that we don't have to be afraid, right? There are things that we can do. And certainly there's so much more research that needs to be done. And there's certainly more therapies that need to be developed. because every woman goes through it differently. No two women menopause the same way. And there's over a hundred symptoms of menopause. So every woman is going to. And then what I also learned is you might be going through a few symptoms like one month and then next month you got a whole new batch of other symptoms that you have to start to deal with.

46:09But there's ways to deal with it. Like that's what I want every woman to know. It's nothing to be afraid of. And you are your best self at this time. We're smarter. We're wiser. Or, you know, we know way more than we did in our 20s and 30s. You know, we're like turbo versions of ourselves. That's what I want women to know and to look forward to this time of life. I'm really inspired how you took like a miss or multiple maybe mixed diagnoses and were using that as fuel to figure out what's really going on with your own body. And, you know, use that mission and what you learn to help other people.

46:42my mom is actually going through perimenopause and she was really excited to learn that I was talking with you because she knows that you are a proponent of it and really trying to help women so she's very excited to be fair she wanted me to make sure I told you that but thinking about my own mother or us growing up and things like that do you have any advice for women that are going through menopause or are looking for tools to help themselves in a similar way that you were able to transform your own story? Well we've got lots of tools at Respin that's the company that That was my impetus for putting this company in the world is because I'm trying to build something I wish I had, a place of knowledge and education all backed by science.

47:22If you want HRT, we can help you get on that. If you want to go the holistic route, we can help you get on that. But it's a community of other women who are going through this. What I believe is that women need women. We need other women to talk to, to hold our hands, to, you know, laugh with, to cry with, share our stories. Because there's so many therapies that we don't know yet or that have yet to be discovered that can help us. So right now, what works is hearing from other women. Okay, what are you experiencing and what's working for you? Like, help me, girl. Like, help me, girl. And what didn't work?

47:55What are they trying to sell you in the world as cures but really is bullshit and doesn't work? Like we need each other to talk to each other and enlighten each other. And so that's what re-spin is. Have you changed your wellness routine at all? I know we talked about how you love your eight sleep and it's really helped. But is there anything else that you feel like has really, whether it's meditation or? Yep. I've upped my meditation. I've changed the way I eat. I used to be very keto and I didn't have any carbs, no pasta, no rice. I realized down this path of life, I need some carbs. I need them more probably in vegetables, but I also need a little rice, right?

48:33I lift heavier than I ever used to lift. I never lifted weights. I always did like cardio or running or something very physical. Now I just am in the gym lifting weights. I love that. It's so good for your bone density. Your bone training is very important. Yes. I just started this year because I'm trying to get pregnant and I want to be able to support the weight of the experience and not throw my back out. Yep. We have to start lifting weights to things that we thought we never would do. Changing my diet. I'm trying to work on my sleep. I'm taking all new set of, you know, vitamins and supplements, magnesium.

49:11I'm taking creatine. I thought creatine. I'll never take creatine. That's going to blow me up. No. Girl needs that. For brain fog, it helps with brain fog. You know, there's so peptides. Yes. All different kinds of peptides. There's so many things now that I've been learning through Respin, going to all these health conferences, learning about what's really on the market, what works, what doesn't work, like what can help us, you know, with our longevity and staying healthy and virile as long as we can. So everything has changed. Okay, so you mentioned you're turning 60 very soon. You're a Leo.

49:42I am too. We know you're into astrology. We chatted a little bit about it. What's the most Leo thing about you I want to know? Oh, Leo thing. I am fiercely loyal, and I hate lying and liars, but I also like to be in control of things. Yes, I do. A little type A, and I do like to be in control, but if I love you, I love you. And if you lie to me, you're done. This sounds like a girl named Margo sitting across from me. I do like that, Mara. And what about you? What are your most real traits? I love my hair. I always feel like I'm very curious and experimenting. A good mane is good. Yes. I am very vocal.

50:37I love to be the center of attention at times. I think also I am very, very loyal, and I want to stick up for the people I love. That is like the most important thing to me is knowing, making sure the people that I love know that I am on their side. Yes. And I care a lot about them. Yes. We share that. Yeah. It can be a good person to have in your court. Maybe. Especially if you have like a rising sign or your moon is in something a bit calmer, like my rising is cancer. So it kind of calms my Leo's balance. Oh, that's good. I don't have it. I'm like a quadruple Leo. I'm real high. Yeah, well, I agree.

51:16Sometimes I love being the center of attention. Sometimes that's the last thing. Like, I've never had a birthday party. Oh, so not even this year? No. But I am looking forward to my siesta. Wait, what is a siesta? A siesta is what we at ReSpin have coined a party for a woman when she's in the menopause. But that's when you've had one year not having a menstrual cycle. You are now technically in the menopause. And then I'm suggesting through Respin that then that woman gets given a siesta. Just like a bar mitzvah or a bat mitzvah, sweet 16, or a baby shower, wedding shower. We look forward to all of those milestones.

51:54Why don't we have a siesta? Why don't we celebrate it? That is beautiful. We've got to start playing your mom's siesta. No, exactly. So that'll be my first party. And so I feel like I have earned a siesta. You have. I didn't earn. I didn't bring myself here. My mother did. But I have earned my shiesta. And I hope you go all out. Oh, baby. They better go all out. But see, the family has to do it. You can't do it for yourself. Oh, okay. So your family has to, just like, you know, somebody throws you a baby shower or a bat mitzvah. Like, my family, I'm, like, hoping, like, they come all out. This is a hint if your family is listening.

52:30Shiesta, upcoming. Holly, I'd love to pivot a little bit and talk about some upcoming projects you have. I saw about Mod vs. Mod. That seems very exciting. You and Angelina Jolie. Yes, I'm hoping this is going to keep happening. We announced this a few years ago, and we've both been so busy doing other things, but that is still very much—I mean, I'd do anything with Angelina Jolie. So we have a great project where we'll be kind of adversaries and, like, going at it. Like, I would love to play with her like that. That's fine. It's like Crime 101 continued. You're getting into this genre, sort of.

53:05But I'm about to, when I finish this press tour, I'm going to go to France to play in a movie called Fluch. And she is, I am so excited for this one. Who is she? Tell us. She's just a woman of a certain age. She's been married in sort of a dead-end relationship, kind of loveless. Like many women do, unfortunately, at this time of life. They've given up their lives for their husbands and their children. And they've become mom. And nothing wrong with being a housewife or just a mother. And I won't say just a mother because it's the hardest thing. I go to work for a break because being a mother is the hardest thing I do.

53:39But some women, unfortunately, have lost their sense of self and they didn't hold on to any kind of career or any, you know, anything that kept them themselves. And that's this character. She wakes up one day, her kids are gone, and she's in this loveless relationship. And she's like, well, you know, now what? Am I just supposed to go off into obscurity and just be a wife that has nothing for myself? and one day she's just missing. And the whole story is realizing what did she go do and what happened? Wait, that sounds very exciting. But she goes to In Search of Herself. Okay, amazing. Thank you so much for joining us.

54:20This has been such a fun conversation. I'm still very starstruck by meeting you and you are everything I hoped and more. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Thank you for sharing everything about your journey. This was amazing. Thank you.

54:37That's it for the show today. The Run-Through with Vogue is produced by Chelsea Daniel, Alex DePalma, and Catherine Millsap. Our engineers are Jake Loomis and Luke Mosley. The show is mixed by Pran Bandy.

54:57My first job in New York City was as a trend forecaster. I do trend forecasting still. And eBay is a part of that because I'll search for things that I'm seeing around. And it will end up directing me in places that I could have never anticipated. And one of the trends that I'm seeing these days is crafting things that are made by hand. And so playing with clothes and accessories to create something kind of distinctive for your wardrobe is a great way of doing it. And getting supplies off of eBay is my favorite thing for it. I'll get like maybe a pair of slippers that I'm wearing right now and then cut them in a specific way and then they're totally my own.

55:34And I feel like it's a great resource to create your own trends because then you can both feel like you're bringing something back to life. You're already like pulling it out of the eBay archives. And then you're also adjusting it so that it really expresses your own style, which is something that, you know, people really want right now whenever they are feeling like so algorithmic about the style that's being pushed to them. That doesn't have to be perfect. Things can have rough edges and that sometimes makes them feel more special. From PRX.