Regina King stars in the western The Harder They Fall, and she expressed to Variety her pride in being a Black actress.

“I know that we call ourselves African American, but I’m a Black American, and I’m very, very clear about the history of being Black in the country that I live in,” the 51-year-old actress says. 

“We are so rich in culture. We have so much substance. And so often, we allow that little box in our house or that big screen to tell us who we are and what our experiences are, instead of actually feeling who we are,” King continues. “That’s what happens when you’ve been enslaved and told what your story is.”

In other news, Halle Berry says it was very special watching her boyfriend, Van Hunt, and H.E.R., create “Automatic Woman” for her directorial debut in Bruised. The track is on the short list for Oscar nominations for Best Original Song.

“All of a sudden I find myself in a relationship with someone who could deliver a song of this magnitude for me. It was serendipitous in some ways.” the 55-year-old actress tells Deadline.

“When I heard the beginning ideas of ‘Automatic Woman’, I was so moved,” adds H.E.R. “That idea of perseverance and pushing through and fighting through. You know, how do you really empower yourself? I’m an automatic woman. I can do this.”

“She’s a trailblazer for her generation, so I was just very impressed,” Berry says about the 24-year-old singer.

Finally, Variety also reports that grown-ish star Yara Shahidi has joined the cast of the Apple TV climate change anthology series Extrapolations. Forest Whitaker, Meryl Streep and Daveed Diggs are among the previously announced cast members.