The Call's Halle Berry and Morris Chestnut on Stripper Improv and Strong Women on Film
Sometimes, Mother Nature creates genetic specimens so perfect that "Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?" isn't a pick-up line; it's just a valid question. Such is the case with Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry and heartthrob Morris Chestnut in their newest flick, The Call.
Photo by Greg Gayne Jordan Turner (Halle Berry) in TriStar Pictures thriller The Call.
The dazzling duo costars in the thriller with former child star Abigail Breslin (who is all grown up and running around in a bra, by the way). The flick's plot revolves around a 911 operator who gets personally involved with a particular caller -- one serious sicko who's into young girls.
We scored a sneak peek at the high-intensity flick, and it fueled a 24-hour adrenaline rush. Afterward, we were graced with the presence of the talented twosome and got to grill them on parenthood, strong women, and 911 calls. See what they had to say. (Or just look at pictures of their epic perfection. Whatevs.)
Cultist: So I'm totally still shaking from the adrenaline. The Call was insanely intense. How did you prep for those roles?
Morris Chestnut: Basically I went on a ride along with a couple of police officers for a shift or two. I got into the mind of a police officer to see things from their perspective. Being out there, patrolling the streets. We just responded to a few calls.
Halle Berry: I went to a 911 center. I'd never been. I got to go and see this world. The center in the movie was actually a replica of one of the centers in Los Angeles, one of the bigger ones. It was just a world that was completely fascinating -- to meet the people and see who they are. They go through extensive training, and 80 percent of the people who apply to go through the program fail. They don't become 911 operators. It takes a certain kind of person who can access all this information and have a sense of calm about them.
Did you take any calls?
Halle: No. They asked me once to take a real call, but I felt like when people call 911, they don't want to get an actress on the phone. I didn't want to do that. I just listened in and I took notes and I recorded things I heard. I probably listened to hundreds of 911 calls that came in and listened to how they were handled.
Halle, your character in the movie says you have to remain emotionally detached from your RP (reporting person). Do you feel like you have to do that as an actor when dealing with intense roles like this?
Halle: I think so. I've learned how to do that... When I was in it, I was in it, but then when it's over, it's like you take off a jacket. It feels good to put it on and go there because I love that, but it also feels good to take it off and leave it when you're done. It's cathartic.
Morris: I did a scene in this movie years ago, and I had to cry. Whatever my source was, I used to get chills. I got chills for about four months afterward when I thought about shooting the scene. So you have to learn how to get away from it.
Your characters in this flick have insanely high-stress jobs. I would imagine being a successful actor is another extremely stressful gig, though in a different way. How do you deal?
Halle: Well, I think my stress is heightened now that I've become a mother. I think I was dealing with it just fine until [my daughter] came along. Now a little innocent person has been thrust in the middle of dealing with a mom who has to deal with celebrity. It's been put upon her in a way that's kind of stressed me out. I'm learning to try to deal with it in a different way and to try to manage it for her sake. It's tough.
Morris: Her level is much more intrusive on her life. It's very easy for me. After I'm done working, I just kind of blend in. I spend time with my family. I don't really get out too much.
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