How Halle Berry Prepared for Jungle Fever Character + Extant Review

Kelly & Michael: Halle Berry’s Baby Maceo

Halle Berry came by to talk to Kelly & Michael. “She’s been a Bond girl, an X-Man, and a history making Oscar winner, now she returns to television in the new sci-fi series Extant.” Kelly called her beautiful and talented. Kelly asked if she had a baby nine months ago. It was unbelievable how good she looked.

She had a little boy named Maceo. Michael asked how she came up with the name. Her husband is French Moroccan, and Spanish. His last name is Martinez and said she could pick a name but asked to pick a name that’s Spanish or French. Maceo is Spanish for “gift from God,” and her daughter prayed for this baby and a bunk bed every night for a year and a half. She also got the bunk bed for Christmas. She didn’t have the heart to tell her that the baby might not happen, so she just told her to keep praying. Then it magically happened. Kelly said her husband Olivier Martinez is gorgeous too and that they are a striking couple.

Kelly & Michael: Halle Berry Geriatric Pregnancy

They talked about it being called geriatric pregnancy. That’s what they called it in the hospital, Berry didn’t call it that herself, and they wouldn’t take it off the chart. Kelly asked what the age is for it to be a geriatric pregnancy. Both of Berry’s pregnancies were. Her first time was 40.

Nahla is an amazing big sister. She prayed for it, so she was ready. She thinks he’s like her baby doll came to life and she throws clothes on him all the time. It’s really cute. Berry talked about what it was like to go from one to two babies, but it all came back to her.

Kelly & Michael: Halle Berry Jungle Fever

Berry made her debut in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever 23 years ago. She wanted to get into character, and played a crackhead, but she didn’t smoke crack. She drew the line there. She didn’t shower the whole time they shot the movie, though, which was eight weeks long. It was gnarly. Kelly & Michael weren’t bothered by it because she’s Halle Berry, and she said that certain parts did get washed.

Kelly & Michael: Halle Berry Oscar

In 2002, Berry won the Oscar for best actress, which was a great moment. She remembered her disbelief and Russell Crowe just saying, “Breathe mate, breathe mate, you’ve gotta breathe mate.” The rest is a blur. She keeps it in her bedroom, so nobody ever sees it. They don’t have that stuff in her house. It’s more for her. Kelly said it would be her door knock.

Kelly & Michael: Extant Review

Michael asked what it’s like to be back on a TV series because it’s been over a decade. She said it’s great. It’s a lot of work, especially with the baby. It’s a pace she’s never done before, but she’s learning it. It’s an amazingly challenging character to play that she loves.

Kelly said it’s a fascinating premise. She plays an astronaut who comes home from a yearlong solo mission in space. Berry was intrigued by a woman who leaves her husband for a year. She then finds out days later that she’s pregnant even though it was a solo mission. The story discovers what happened to her and how she got pregnant. Michael saw the beginning and is already hooked. This is a Steven Spielberg show, and Berry said that “nobody does this genre of sci-fi with heart, I think, better than Steven Spielberg.” While it is sci-fi, it’s also about family and relationships and is complicated.

They showed a clip. Berry’s character Molly found that she’s pregnant even though she was on a solo mission. Her doctor asked her if there really wasn’t anyone there. She was confused because Molly was pregnant. Molly said that’s not possible and freaked out. Kelly loved that they brought up a possible emergency docking. Berry said it would be a good place to have an affair. Michael said he would pass out. Extant will premiere on July 9 2014 on CBS.