New York: When Halle Berry came across the role of Sofia in 'John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum', she accepted it to send an important message.
"It gave me a chance to do exactly what I wanted to do at this stage in my life, being a woman of color of a certain age," said the Academy Award winner. "It gave me a chance to show something different and to sort of kick ageism in the face and, you know, prove that we're not defined by that number that gets tagged to us at birth. That doesn't define us at all and we should not let it define us."
Berry, routinely regarded as one of the world's most beautiful women throughout her career, and a former PEOPLE's "Most Beautiful Woman" recipient, said she doesn't feel as old as print articles sometimes convey.
"Every time I see my name in print, it's got to have those two damn digits in front of it," said the 52-year-old actress. "And I just don't understand this. So I try not to think of it, but I'm reminded every day. So I thought, 'Okay, then. What are you going to do, Hal? Go with it! You know, talk about it, laugh about it and prove that it means nothing."
Another member of the 50-plus club is the lead in the film, Keanu Reeves. With a movie that seems to be nothing but nonstop action, how does he stay in shape?
"If you looked at my full calendar or if I wasn't working, I'm not very active. And you know, I kind of try and take care of a little bit. But I mean, it's the same, right? It's diet and exercise. Get enough sleep and try and do things that don't crush your soul."