How is your life as a single mother going?

HALLE BERRY: I'm raising a family, and living my life and doing something I love. And it does just feel like fun. 

Well, what is the high for you about the job of being a movie star? 

HB: I just love the fact that I wake up and get to earn a living. I'm not one of those people - and unfortunately some of my friends are – that are always saying, ‘thank god it's Friday!’ I never even care that it's Friday. Or if it's Sunday or Monday. The way the structure of our life is, it's just such a different climate. And a different environment. And I just often feel so lucky, that I get to do what I love. And I get to try new things, and stretch myself. And sometimes things work, and sometimes they don't. But that's the nature of what being an actor is all about. Halle, this movie has religious overtones. 

And not that it's anybody's business but yours, but how does that relate to your own religious beliefs? 

HB: Ha! Okay, whatever you believe, reincarnation! Or not. 

And I hear you broke lots of bones. 

HB: Every day, it gets more and more! Now it's five bones! But anyway, I did it two days into shooting, which was a real bummer for everybody involved! So yeah, I really broke five bones in my foot.  So I thought ‘there's no way that I'm gonna be able to just do this’. I thought I was going to be recast. I sat there in my bed, you know, foot up in the air. And I got a call saying, the directors wanted to come to talk to me. And I thought ‘okay, they're gonna give me my walking papers and say, ‘we love you, but there are too many people involved, and too many schedules have been made for too many years. So, you know, we're bringing in Angela Bassett or somebody!’ I was ready to be gracious and accept it. But they came in and said, ‘no, we love you, and we really want you to stay. And we're gonna work this out.’ And I found that out with lots of tape and wrapping things could be done to get me through the process. I found ways to just grin and bear it. And I got through it. 

That would have been strange, giving you those walking papers, when you can't walk! 

HB: Yeah! But I was carried! I had this guy carry me. And I felt like such an idiot! You know, that I was being carried around by this like six foot five guy! Everywhere I went. But I think it's true. Not that they would have, but everybody's response to it was that they wanted me to stay too. So I think that made the energy go towards ‘let's stay and work this out’. And everybody had to do whatever they had to do.It means a lot when other people rearrange their schedules for you though. Tom had to go back and shoot in Majorca, when we were supposed to be done. And people had to change things around. So it was a big shift. But everybody rallied around. 

So which one of your numerous characters in Cloud Atlas did you find the most fun to do? 

HB: I didn't find any of them, I loved them all. I mean, that's what I really have to say.  I have to say that I did love being turned into Ovid. I mean, to be an Asian man. Like never before in my life would I ever have thought anybody anywhere would ever hire me to be an Asian man. For any reason! So that was probably a day that, you know, where I felt I was doing something unique... something I'll never have a chance to do again. But I love the totality of all the characters. To be an old native in the 1800s was very special. And then go on to be this, you know, extra-terrestrial kinda like being from another planet. That came down to help this other group of people. And I felt like it was such a diverse group of people that I got to play. So it's hard for me to choose which one. They all had reasons why I loved putting on those skins. This is a really fascinating look at identity, class and gender that filters into your roles. 

Talk about that. 

HB: Well, just playing a man. And a white woman! And that was particularly significant for me, because I was in a costume fitting with Tom, trying to bring Jocasta to life. And he was bringing out one beautiful dress after the next, and I'm trying them on. And he says, ‘oh you look so beautiful. You must have worn dresses like this in 1935’. And I just kinda looked at him and I said, ‘You think so? You think I have really, as an actor, you think I've done this before?’ And he said, ‘Yes! You look good in everything. You have had to have done this’. And I said ‘Tom, just think about it for a minute...’ And then all of a sudden, he goes, ‘Oh - you're black! You're not really white. You wouldn't have been this kind of woman in 1935 ever, right?!’  So there were little moments like that which said to me ‘this is so poignant for an actor and someone like me, to be able to shed my skin’... you know, to do something that I would have never been able to do. If it were not for this kind of project, I still wouldn’t have done that. 

Did it feel like six different movies for you? 

HB: It didn't feel like six different movies, really. I thought it felt like one movie, but with six different characters within one movie. 

How about being directed in such a complex story by different filmmakers? 

HB: They took all the homework out of it. They had done the work. I mean, the screenplay was very much like you see in the movie. And that wasn't like a masterful editing job. It was all written, as you kind of see it in the movie, which made it easier to understand when you read it, because it was kind of all there. But they were so kind, and they were so gracious. And they were so happy that we would show up every day, and that we all agreed to say ‘yes’!I mean, we all worked. It wasn't like this was a big money job, for anybody. We were all there because we loved it, and because we wanted to be part of something that was innovative and different. And you could feel the love. It was palpable. It was like so much respect for everybody. And all the directors had one vision. And I personally thought after I said yes, ‘this is gonna be a nightmare. Three different directors? Like I'm gonna feel schizophrenic!’ ‘Who am I gonna listen to for a start?’ And ‘is this gonna work for how I like to work?’ But it was just seamless. They were on the same page, going from one unity to the next, even if their styles were very different. Like where Tom talked a lot before we shot, and Lana and Andy had to shoot first. And then they'd talk about what they saw what you did. And then they added their opinion, and then you did it again. So it was different, but they had one cohesive vision.  And they were very clear about the movie they were making. And it felt, the tone and the feeling was very much the same, from set to set.

What about the gender switchups going on, did that make you nuts?

 HB: Well, I wasn't always Ovid. At one point, Tom Hanks was gonna be Ovid. And she was gonna be a woman. And then somewhere along the line, they said no. You're gonna be Ovid, because as far as your soul's journey, you need to be Ovid.  Exclusive quotes relating to diabetes and France: I was interested to read that you are diabetic and you took part in a large campaign to raise awareness. 

Why is that important to you and how does it affect your everyday life? 

HB: It’s really important for me to educate people about diabetes, juvenile diabetes especially. And diabetes also really attacks the African American communities so I’m a big voice in that community for it as well. You know, my life has been made better as a result of being diabetic in a way. I got diagnosed at 19 and I had to educate myself about it and in doing so I’ve lived a much more healthy life. I’ve exorcised my whole life because of it and I feel I’m healthier today because of the disease and I like to spread that message to people to tell them not to be afraid, not to be crippled by it but if you embrace it and learn about it, you can become more healthy than the next guy if you take it seriously. So that’s the message I try to give. I try to give hope to kids who feel a little behind the eight ball because of it and I try and inspire them and say it’s really something you can manage if you take it seriously.  

What is your key reason behind wanting to move to France? 

HB: We’d have more privacy and more laws there to protect my daughter. I’m really very concerned about her growing in the United States with the way things are there and the laws that they don’t have in place to protect children. I’m really very worried about that. Hopefully we’ll get to make a move for our family.  Becoming a mum has wildly has affected my life in the most amazing ways. I haven’t worked as much since I had my daughter. Now I have another priority and she’s it. When I go away to do a film now it really has to be something that I really want to do – like Cloud Atlas – because it takes time away from my life with her. So I think I’ve become a bit more picky. And if not picky, I just don’t devote as much time to it as I used to because I can’t. She’s the priority.  

But work remains important?

 Oh yes, and I do want to send her the very clear message that working in life and striving to be the best you can be is important whatever. But also, doing something that you love, or that validates you, is equally important. It’s that feeling that you are giving yourself to the world. For that reason I will keep on working because I think it is an important message.  

But a big part of moving to France is the privacy?

I feel like the responsibility is largely on editors of magazines who buy pictures of children and who splash them all over; I think it’s very irresponsible in many ways and I think that children should be off limits. They should have a right to their privacy and should not be exploited and objectified - if you don’t want.  There are people who don’t mind their children being in magazines and being promoted that way and that is fine too. I’m not here to say I have the answer and my way is the only way but I do feel like that if we make the decision for our family and our children that it’s not okay, and we don’t want that, then we should have that honoured as well. That is what I am finding hard in the United States - to have my wishes as a mum be heard and to protect my daughter in the way I feel best to protect her. And that’s a real concern. A real big concern of mine. 

What else is it you like about the idea of moving to Europe? 

I guess it’s exploring new places and new cultures. There is so much history, particularly in France, so much architecture and art. There is a romance and a passion for the beautiful things, and that goes back generations. 

Everyone is well kept, well maintained, and there is a uniqueness about France that I don’t think you can find anywhere else. I’d also like to explore countries such as Italy and Germany more, and of course it is always useful to be close to the UK as well. 

Is it the mystery, the unknown?

 I think it is. I think it’s not knowing what’s out there. I’ve travelled around America so much and I know what to expect. In Europe, I don’t, and I like that. Even being who I am and the age I am at, and the fact I have my daughter to look after, I still love the idea that we are free of ourselves and free of boundaries. That’s a really important feeling for me to rediscover and seize upon. 

And I guess moving to Europe will help you expand your shoe collection [currently rumoured to be in excess of 1,000 pairs]? 

Well, maybe that’s an extra advantage, but not the main thing! To be honest, having my own shoe range takes up most of my time now, so I’m probably buying less shoes than at any time in the past, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t be tempted to pick up a new pair in a Paris boutique if I saw them!