Halle Berry, the renowned action star, has revealed a hefty price she pays for her onscreen daring: a long list of broken bones and injuries sustained during her illustrious career. While promoting her latest film, "The Union" on Netflix, Berry shared her impressive tally of ten fractured bones with her co-star, Mark Wahlberg, during an interview.
"I've been knocked out three times, got an arm broken, broke ribs twice â two ribs one time, three ribs another time â broke a tail bone, broke two toes and a finger: this finger," Berry stated with a laugh, pointing to her middle finger in a clip shared by Netflix.
Berry and Wahlberg, known for his roles in action films such as "The Departed," exchanged injury stories, with Wahlberg admitting to tearing his meniscus, separating his shoulder, and experiencing a fair share of "ego bruising" on set.
Although Berry leads in the number of broken bones, Wahlberg surpasses her in underwater endurance. Berry endured nearly two and a half minutes underwater while filming 2012's "Dark Tide," whereas Wahlberg spent a gruelling ten minutes submerged for 2000's "The Perfect Storm."
Wahlberg described his experience vividly, recalling, "We were in the tank, and we had the wave. There were guys underneath the water holding my feet to hold me in position. And they didn't know where I was in relation to the waves. So I'm sucking in water and it's going up and over my head. And I'm just trying to stay there and do the line and make sure I got the tear in the eye. That was not fun."
The two seasoned actors also discussed skills acquired during their careers. Berry, who has mastered jiu-jitsu, muay thai, kickboxing, Taekwondo, and shooting for her films, notably learned capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art, for her role in "Catwoman." Meanwhile, Wahlberg, known for his diverse range, learned crocheting and ballet and tango for the 2010 action comedy "The Other Guys."
Berry recalled her longest time suspended on wires as Storm in the "X-Men" franchise, commenting, "A long time, 'cause Storm was always in the sky on a wire. Actually it felt like the (crew member) had gone to lunch. That's how long I was up there."
In "The Union," streaming this Friday, Berry portrays Roxanne, a U.S. intelligence agent who recruits her former sweetheart, construction worker Mike (Wahlberg), for a top-secret mission. The film promises a thrilling blend of action and humour, with Berry's formidable talent and resilience, both on and off the screen, shining through.