Halle Berry Says She’d “Love To Play” Zendaya’s Mother After the Star Honored Her 2002 Red Carpet Look at the Emmys
· Thought Catalog
Updated 2 minutes ago, September 16, 2026
Halle Berry has a dream casting in mind, and it starts with playing mom. The Oscar winner named Zendaya as the actress she’d most want to play her on-screen daughter, telling a recent audience, “There is an actress I love with every fibre of my being. I love her and I would love to play her mother… [It’s] Zendaya. I can play her mom, right?!”
The 60-year-old reshared the clip from The Drew Barrymore Show after Zendaya paid tribute to one of Berry’s most memorable red carpet looks at Monday’s Emmy Awards.
Zendaya, 30, walked the carpet in a silver sequined Prada gown and a short haircut inspired by Berry’s appearance at the 2002 Die Another Day premiere. At that event, Berry wore a sparkling, sheer Collette Dinnigan minidress and a pixie cut — the exact combination Zendaya reinterpreted decades later.
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Stylist Law Roach confirmed the reference before the ceremony, telling Refinery29, “We are paying a little homage to Halle Berry tonight, you’ll see it.” Berry responded to his Instagram Stories post with a heart and later praised Zendaya with the words, “She murdered the night.”
The mutual admiration isn’t new. Berry celebrated Zendaya’s influence during a 2021 Sundance Film Festival panel, calling her a “walking embodiment” of Hollywood’s progress for Black women. She pointed to Zendaya’s ability at 24 to develop an idea, secure support and retain creative control, adding, “[She] is proof positive that things are changing and I couldn’t be prouder.”
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