Halle Berry became the first Black actress to win the best actress Oscar for her role in Monster's Ball, but the role almost went to another iconic actress: Angela Bassett. Bassett told Newsweek that she ultimately passed on the role over concerns about stereotyping Black women. "It's about character, darling," People reported her as saying. "I wasn't going to be a prostitute on film. I couldn't do that because it's such a stereotype about black women and sexuality."