The X-Men films were one of the series that contributed to the popularization of the superhero cinematic genre years before interconnected worlds like the MCU and DCEU were introduced.
The first two films were directed by Bryan Singer, who later returned to helm Apocalypse and Days of Future Past. He has collaborated with Halle Berry three times, albeit things weren’t always easy. The actress and Singer had several arguments, and she most recently remembered arguing with him while X2: X-Men United was being filmed.
She was asked in her interview with Entertainment Weekly if she had ever had the opportunity to defend herself in real life, which is similar to what her character does in a pivotal sequence in Crime 101. While working on the second X-Men film, Berry mentioned telling Bryan Singer “just where to go and how to get there.”
She added, “Everybody was mad, but they all said to me, ‘Halle, you go tell ’em,’ because they knew I would. And it’s one of the greatest days on a set, telling someone who was wronging the entire crew, the entire cast, exactly where to go. And then I got on a plane and flew home with my X-Men suit on.”
Although it was obviously a rewarding experience for her, Halle Berry gave no specifics about what transpired during the dispute. But according to reports from 2020, she and other X2: X-Men United cast approached Singer and demanded they’d quit if producer Tom DeSanto, who demanded that work be halted following Hugh Jackman’s injury during a stunt, was taken off the set.
Mark Ruffalo declared this to be the “best story” after Halle Berry recollected it in the Crime 101 interview, to which she responded: “I’m sorry, that guy deserved it.”