“I felt like it was Halle Berry’s failure, but I didn’t make it alone,” Berry to Entertainment Weekly in an oral history on the film with cast and crew for the upcoming anniversary. “All these years, I’ve absolutely carried it.”

Catwoman has been reinvented numerous times, but this film was intended to be distinct from its predecessors. The movie premiered in theaters on July 23, 2003, featuring Berry as Patience Phillips, a cosmetics employee who dies and is subsequently reborn as Catwoman. 

While the character is typically associated with films centered around male protagonists, the 53-year-old found it refreshing to introduce a modern twist that champions women.

“The beauty of doing it was because it wasn’t in the Batman universe,” Berry told EW. “Men, historically, get to have big franchises that revolve around them. This was an opportunity to be forward-thinking, pushing that envelope for women. Why can’t we have our own superhero movie that revolves around us and our universe?”

Screenwriter John Brancato explained that Warner Bros. imposed a rule preventing any mention of Batman in the film. As a result, the team had to devise a way to distinguish its movie from the popular DC film franchise. Producer Denise Di Novi noted that “a lot of sexism was involved” as they distanced themselves from Batman, which led her to draw on the feminist movement for inspiration. However, Berry felt that the plot focused on saving women from cosmetic malpractice wasn’t enough for her.

“I always thought the idea of Catwoman saving women from a face cream felt a bit soft,” Berry told EW. “All the other superheroes save the world; they don’t just save women from cracked faces. I always knew that was a soft superhero plight, but at that time in my career, I didn’t have the agency I have today or belief that I could challenge that, so I went along with it.”

Berry spent considerable time with a cat named Pharaoh to immerse herself fully in the day-to-day life of a feline. At the time, she recognized that the movie might not have resonated with everyone compared to other films, but she enjoyed every moment of the experience.

“I had the time of my life. I worked my ass off to embody a cat in so many ways, psychologically and physically. I never thought it went awry; I just thought that maybe it wouldn’t feel as big as other movies because the plot stakes aren’t as high,” she said.

In addition to the differences from other films featuring Catwoman, critics were dissatisfied with the costume choice in the movie. Di Novi explained that they aimed for a modern, innovative look, diverging from the traditional catsuit worn in previous portrayals of Catwoman. The film received numerous low ratings, but Berry asserted that while she wasn’t pleased with the backlash, she is accustomed to fighting for and advocating for herself as a Black woman.

“Growing up as a Black woman, that’s two strikes against you,” Berry told EW about the reaction.” There’s an innate resilience. I hated that it got all put on me, and I hate that, to this day, it’s my failure. I know I can carry it. I still have a career 20 years later. It’s just part of my story. That’s okay, and I’ve carried other failures and successes. People have opinions, and sometimes they’re louder than others. You just have to keep moving.”

She continued, “I didn’t love [the backlash]. Being a Black woman, I’m used to carrying negativity on my back, fighting, being a fish swimming upstream by myself. I’m used to defying stereotypes and making a way out of no way…It didn’t derail me because I’ve fought as a Black woman my whole life. A little bad publicity about a movie? I didn’t love it, but it wasn’t going to stop my world or derail me from doing what I love to do.”