As the Cannes Film Festival 2025 nears its close, Academy Award–winning actor Halle Berry is reflecting on her first time as a juror for the 78th installment of the international film festival.
“I’ve learned so much listening to all [the jurors] talk and speak, and they’ve been so generous with their knowledge and with their heart,” she recently told Vanity Fair amid a busy schedule of appearing at photocalls, watching films, and attending events around the Croisette. “Just like on a movie set you get really close with your costars because you know you have to, your time is very limited and finite, and so we’ve also gotten very close very quickly because we’re talking about things that affect us deeply, and we’re sharing our own personal experiences with the movies and the art and the cinema. It’s just been one of the most life-enriching experiences I think I’ve ever had.”
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This year’s jury president is Juliette Binoche, and Berry is joined by fellow jurors Payal Kapadia, Alba Rohrwacher, Leïla Slimani, Dieudo Hamadi, Hong Sangsoo, Carlos Reygadas, and Jeremy Strong. After viewing all of the films entered into competition, the group will decide upon the festival’s biggest honor: the Palme d’Or. Recipients of the coveted award in recent years include Anora director Sean Baker, Anatomy of a Fall director Justine Triet, and Triangle of Sadness director Ruben Östlund.
In advance of the Palme d’Or ceremony on Saturday, May 24 (the last day of the festival), Berry spoke with Vanity Fair about her experience as a first-time juror, the secret behind her skincare routine, and how she handled the changes to the Cannes Film Festival’s dress code.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Vanity Fair: Hi, Halle, how are you?
Halle Berry: I’m tired. I am exhausted. I feel great.
Tell me about your beauty routine and what it’s been like while attending Cannes.
My preparation is kind of like what it is normally when I work on a movie set. My skincare is more on point than usual and it’s always a big part of my routine. I really believe you have to start that early in life and it has to become part of your every day. You can’t turn back the hands of time, you have to start it early and be continuous and serious about it. So that part hasn’t been very different for me. Just taking care of my skin, giving my makeup artist a clean, good canvas to work with—healthy skin, clean skin, clear skin. It’s just been about moisturizing, cleaning, cleansing, exfoliating, and not wearing makeup whenever I don’t have to, which has been a real gift. When I go to my jury screenings, we don’t have to be made up, we can roll in however we roll in, and I’ve really been taking advantage of those times where I can just have clean skin and not have to have makeup on.
