Halle Berry Turns 60, Says She’s ‘Arrived at Her Best Self’

Halle Berry turned 60 on Friday, marking the milestone with a reflection on aging that the Oscar-winning actress says has surprised even her.

Berry, born Aug. 14, 1966, in Cleveland, won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2002 for Monster’s Ball, becoming the first Black woman to receive the honor. She is also known for playing Storm in the X-Men franchise and for her role as a Bond girl in Die Another Day.

In an interview with NewBeauty earlier this summer, Berry said turning 60 has upended the expectations she once had about the decade.

“I can’t say that I thought this is what 60 would be like! I am wildly surprised that I feel like I feel at 60,” Berry shared. “When I was in my 20s, I thought, ‘Oh, 60 is going to be really old.’ If this is what 60 is, it’s not really old. That’s what I want every woman to know. I feel like my best self. I really do. I have finally arrived to being who I really am. And that’s a really good feeling. Aging is a privilege. I’m so lucky that I’m still here.”

Berry said the milestone has sharpened her focus on how she spends her time.

“The days matter more now than they used to. I’m aware that I have less time here than I’ve had here,” she said. “There’s a focus on being mindful with my time, being thoughtful about who I spend time with, what I spend time on, where I go, what I eat, what I do. All of that’s become more heightened at the age of 60. But I think that is a good thing. It’s been a wonderful time of life to arrive at.”

According to posts on social media, the actress rang in her birthday early with a trip to Fiji alongside her family and fiancé, musician Van Hunt, who proposed last year.

Berry has a full slate ahead in her seventh decade. She recently starred opposite Chris Hemsworth in the heist film Crime 101 and has several projects in the pipeline, including the FX drama series Mother Doom and an adaptation of Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s novel The President Is Missing.