Since Halle Berry won her Oscar for Monster's Ball, it would be safe to say her choice of roles has been questionable. However, in Things We Lost In The Fire, she seems to finally be putting Catwoman to rest and re-emerging as one of Hollywood's great actresses. Ditching feline make-up and skin tight leather and for bare faced in overalls Berry gives one of her best performances alongside the wonderful Benicio Del Toro in Susanne Bier's first American films. We caught up with Halle and Susanne to talk about the film.

Despite being an Academy Award winning actress Berry, who says great women's roles are difficult to come by, had to fight for this role. When we ask the Danish director why she didn't offer Berry the role straight away, Berry mockingly questions her also, “Yeh, Why didn't you Susanne?” A deadpan Bier looks at the stunning actress and answers, “Because you were so ugly.”

Berry tells us that maybe fight is too strong a word but, “as a woman there are so few good parts that are written for women each year that when one is written like this every actress in town wants it.” So how did she get it, we ask. “I threw my hat in the ring a year and a half before Susanne even read the script herself and made it known to the studio that I was desperate for this part and they said stand in line.”

We can't imagine Berry having to queue but with it all down to Susanne, what was it that convinced her that Berry was the one for this rather harrowing role. Bier says, “When I met Halle for the first time I could not imagine anyone else. The part of Audrey Burke is a woman who closes down after a shock and I was concerned that the actress who played her would not accommodate the inbuilt possible coldness that this character could have portrayed. Meeting Halle, there was this very strong willed, passionate and very warm actress. With her you would understand at any time that she was grieving and not just being cold. That was probably my most important motive of wanting her to play the part.”