Halle Berry wore a true piece of art on the red carpet at the 2023 Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a marvel of haute couture by Elie Saab from the designer’s Fall 2023 collection. The completely see-through mesh bodice was stitched all over with intricate embroidered designs in sparking gold, silver, and black sequins, extending from the high turtleneck and pointed shoulder pads to the voluminous floor-grazing skirt, Harper’s Bazaar reports. In a word? Breathtaking.
Berry has a deep history with Elie Saab: she wore the brand to the 2002 Academy Awards ceremony, where she made history as the first—and, to date, only—Black woman to win an Oscar in the Best Actress category. That gown was another semi-sheer look, consisting of a maroon mesh bodice embroidered with brown floral and green leaf appliqués. “The bodice extended into a column maxi skirt and attached train made out of crimson taffeta,” Harper’s Bazaar writes.
Next up for Berry professionally is the upcoming film Maude v. Maude, a spy thriller which she costars in and coproduces with Angelina Jolie. Speaking to Variety at the festival, Berry revealed that she and Jolie “had a rocky start” working on the project: “I think that is going to serve us well in our screen time together,” she said of the film, where she battles Jolie “physically and intellectually” on the big screen.
The two stars were able to work past their issues. “We’ve been talking a lot about divorces and exes,” Berry said. “We bonded, let’s say that.”
Berry was in Saudi Arabia not just for the festival but also to scout locations to shoot Maude v. Maude. “For us, it is about going places that have never been shown onscreen before,” she said. “We plan on going all around the world.”
She further opened up to Deadline about the forthcoming movie, which she said satisfies a craving to mix action and comedy. “I’m just thrilled to just work with another woman and craft a story from our sensibility, from our point of view,” Berry said. “So many times we’re characterized in movies, and the writers are usually men, so we’re portrayed from their perspective. And so there’s a female director, Angelina and I are there, and we can tell a story from our point of view.”
