Halle Berry recalls her groundbreaking role in “The Flintstones” on its 30th anniversary: 'A huge step forward'

The Oscar-winning actress played Sharon Stone, Fred Flintstone's breathy, sexy secretary.

Halle Berry's made a few historic firsts in her storied career, but what about being the first Black woman of the Stone Age?

For the 30th anniversary of The Flintstones, the live action adaptation of the first animated series in primetime, Berry reminisces about the importance of "this little part in this big movie."

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Berry begins by admitting that she hasn't seen the film in 20 years, but then immediately notices her voice in the film — a girlish, breathy, Marilyn Monroe-esque timbre with which she greets John Goodman's Fred Flintstone.

"It was so young me," Berry says, before turning her attention to the short, cropped 'do that became her signature.

Berry played Sharon Stone, Fred's secretary who refuses to close her legs to married cavemen. The part had originally been intended for the actual Sharon Stone, who couldn't do the film due to scheduling conflicts.

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The weight of landing a part meant for a white actress, and one of the biggest actresses around at the time, was not lost on the young Berry, who was 27 when the film came out and had not yet quite broken through in Hollywood.

"Being a Black woman in Bedrock seemed like a little thing," she recalls. "But The Flintstones was the fabric of our culture. I knew that this was a big step forward for Black people, Black women especially."

The Flintstones premiered in 1960 and ran for six seasons — though it lived a far longer life in syndication and spin-offs, TV specials and movies, the two live action films, theme parks, and of course, vitamins.

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Still, like many ubiquitous pop culture touchstones from 60 years ago,The Flintstones were pretty white. Especially for a show set thousands of years ago. So becoming a part of this cultural touchstone was kind of a big deal for an up and coming Black actress.

"While it was silly and over the top and campy," Berry concludes, "I knew how important this little part in this big movie actually would be."

The Oscar-winner had previously expressed her love for Miss Stone, even if she was a prehistoric homewrecker.

"Everyone said, 'oh why would you want to do a movie based on a cartoon?'" Berry tweeted two years ago. "To see 28 years later, that this character has become so beloved and has resonated with so many of you is so gratifying. draped in brown, but Miss Stone is still the blueprint."

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.