Just when folks had finally figured out the difference between them, Halle Bailey has re-embraced her status as the reincarnation of Halle Berry by recreating one of the X-Men icon’s most memorable screen looks for Halloween. Or should we say Halleween?
It’s not even the big day itself, but every other celebrity out there might as well just stay home on Oct. 31 and stuff themselves full of their kids’ candy to commiserate, as none of them are going to beat Bailey’s effort. The Little Mermaid star went all out to channel Berry in 2002 James Bond film Die Another Day, in which her near-namesake played NSA agent Jinx Johnson opposite Pierce Brosnan’s 007.
In one famous scene from the 40th anniversary movie, Berry gave her twist on Ursula Andress’ legendary moment from 1962’s Dr. No and emerged from the sea in a bold orange bikini. It’s this look that Bailey has expertly recreated for her Halloween 2024 costume, as originally shared on her Instagram. Bailey even donned a pixie cut wig and didn’t miss the authentic accessory of a white leather belt/knife holster.
Reactions to Bailey’s bombshell Halloween cosplay couldn’t resist doubling down on the double-trouble fun. “Had to read this twice,” was a reply that came up a lot, while someone else declared, “Halle did it better.” They’re right — Halle never stood a chance, what with Halle looking like that. Over on Bailey’s Instagram, the comments were full of discombobulated delight. “Halle as Halle??” one wrote, agog. “Checking that off my 2024 bingo card.”
Apparently, it’s Berry season right now, though, as Bailey wasn’t the only one to bring back an iconic look of the Catwoman actress’ from yesteryear. South African singer Tyla likewise took to Instagram within just minutes of Bailey in order to show off her recreation of Berry’s cavegirl chic from 1994’s The Flintstones, in which she portrayed Miss Stone.
Last but not least, rapper Coi Leray also purr-fectly understood the assignment when she unveiled her own Berry good Halle cosplay an hour later. She channeled the character of Patience Phillips from 2004’s cult car crash of a comic book movie, Catwoman. Did the Berry-loving trio co-ordinate this homage to Halle’s Hall of Fame for Halloween or is this just a major coincidence?
Bailey and Berry have long supported each other, seeing the funny side of the way the internet can’t tell their names apart. When she cast as Ariel in Disney’s 2023 underwater remake, Berry had to make a statement on social media to clarify that, no, she was not playing Ariel and she sent all the love Bailey’s way. One of these days, Hollywood will cotton on to their chemistry and cast both Halles as a mother/daughter duo in, say, an action-comedy.
Alternatively, the James Bond franchise is in need of a relaunch right now. A Jinx spin-off was almost made back in the day, so how’s about resurrecting the idea and casting Bailey to share the role with Berry for flashback sequences exploring Agent Johnson’s origins? MGM, we’ll talk.