Halle Berry accepting her #SeeHer Award. Image Source: EW 

The 27th Critics' Choice Awards were held on Sunday and actress Halle Berry accepted the SeeHer Award by delivering an inspirational speech that not only highlighted the topic of representation in the industry but also made a lot of people in the audience tear up, including Lady Gaga.

Issa Rae presented Halle Berry with the SeeHer Award, and she took the opportunity to deliver an empowering and inspirational speech about the inclusion of representation in the industry. Halle Berry shared a behind-the-scenes story about her directorial debut, "Bruised," which received a positive response from the audience and the critics.

Halle Berry thanked Issa Rae as well and said that she has inspired Halle since the moment she showed up and that she has been one of the essential people who changed the way people see women of color on television and in the world. She thanked her for being so inspiring not only her but the women across the world and just for being her authentic self. 

Halle said that the first time she read the script of "Bruised," she realized that the part was not written for someone who looked like her, so she went to the producers to ask why it was the case that a black woman couldn’t play the part, to which the producers told her to find a director. When Halle got some courage to say, "Why can’t she direct it?" and cut to the film’s release?, she asked someone about their view on the move she made in the movie. The person replied by stating that the idea of watching a woman getting beaten and battered made him uncomfortable.

Halle continued and shared that after listening to that comment, she realized that she had made the right choice to be a part of the project. She explained that she replied to that person that the idea of a woman getting battered and beaten up on-screen made him uncomfortable. He asked her to imagine being that woman and living that life.

Halle Berry spoke about how filmmakers and artists must raise their consciousness and assist in bringing stories from outside their comfort zones to light. She went on to say that she truly believes that people need to start looking at other people's realities, no matter how unsettling it is, because that's when people will stop judging and pointing fingers at each other and instead focus on being compassionate and empathetic towards others. The actress went on to detail that she has been in the industry for over 30 years and she believed that if she could play a white man, she’d win, but that didn’t work because she is not a white man.

Those parts of a white man were substantially changed according to the actress’ reality of the journey, and she added that she is immensely grateful and honored to be standing on the stage and living the moment where women are not afraid to tell their stories. "We will write, produce, direct, and if we are brave enough, we will start in it all at the same time!" Halle added.

The actress went on to get a little emotional but firmly explained that women are going to tell their authentic stories with multitudes of contradictions; they are going to be scared and vulnerable and confident and strong. These women are going to be beautiful and bruised, everything at once because women have now understood and started to acknowledge their complexity and honesty.

Lady Gaga was seen getting emotional while Halle Berry's speech. Image Source: People

Halle Berry went ahead to dedicate the award to every girl and woman who has ever felt unseen and unheard, stating that this is her way of saying that people see you, they love you, and you deserve every good thing in the world. The audience gave the actress a standing ovation, and during the speech, the camera shifted towards Lady Gaga in tears.

The speech by Halle Berry evoked the emotions of not only Lady Gaga but probably every woman who was present at the ceremony and the ones who watched it on their screen. Later, The Power of the Dog director Jane Campion also mentioned while accepting her award that the actress said what she wanted to say while accepting the award.

The #SeeHer award is given to extraordinary women who exemplify the values of the SeeHer movement, which promotes appropriate depictions of women and girls in advertising and media. With accepting the award, Halle Berry joins the list of incredible women who have been honored with the award previously including Zendaya, Kristen Bell, Claire Foy, Gal Gadot, and Viola Davis.