Jinx played by Halle Berry in 2002’s Die Another Day
In the 2002 James Bond movie Die Another Day, Halle Berry plays Giacinta
“Jinx” Johnson, an intelligence agent who collaborates with James Bond
to track villain Gustav Graves. This was the 20th movie in the James
Bond franchise, and it makes at least passing reference to the 19 Bond
films that preceded it. It was also the 40th anniversary of the Bond
series, which began in 1962 with Sean Connery starring in Dr. No.
Berry told the press that she felt that her character was another
step in the modernization of women in the Bond movies. Nonetheless, she
manages to be breathtaking in a bikini as she emerges from the ocean in
a scene reminiscent of Ursula Andress’ bikini scene in Dr. No.
In the movie, Bond is betrayed during a mission. He is then fired
under accusations of having leaked important information to North Korea.
But he is reinstated in the MI6 and discovers a plot to restart the war
between North Korea and South Korea by use of a mirrored satellite that
can be used to burn a swath across the demilitarized zone between the
two Koreas. Berry plays Bond’s ally and collaborator.
Berry grew up in Ohio, and after participating and placing in several
beauty pageants she took small television roles. But her first big
feature film role was as a drug addict in Spike Lee’s 1991 movie Jungle
Fever. In 1999 she won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of
Dorthy Dandridge in the HBO biopic Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. She
then won an Academy Award as best lead actress in 2001 for her role in
the movie Monster’s Ball.
Since her appearance as Jinx in Die Another Day, Berry’s fame has
only continued to grow, and she is considered one of the top actresses
in the motion picture industry today.
