Halle Berry has been publicly cheering on Zendaya for years, but the Oscar winner says their connection goes beyond red-carpet shoutouts.
While attending a Create & Cultivate event in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 20, Berry told PEOPLE that she and Zendaya stay in contact—and that she has plenty of affection for the younger actress.
“I do speak to her and I have to say she is the sweetest and my little sweetheart,” Berry said.
Berry also made it clear she would like their relationship to eventually extend to the big screen.
“I would love to find something to do with her someday,” she said.
The timing of Berry’s comments is notable. Just days earlier, Zendaya drew major attention at the 78th Emmy Awards in a custom silver Prada gown covered in sequins, paired with a short pixie cut.
The look immediately brought Berry’s early-2000s style to mind, particularly her appearance at the 2002 premiere of Die Another Day. Zendaya’s longtime stylist, Law Roach, confirmed Berry was an inspiration behind the look.
Berry embraced the tribute, sharing side-by-side images of herself and Zendaya on Instagram Stories and praising the younger star with the message, “She murdered the night!”
But Berry’s support for Zendaya stretches much further back than the Emmy moment.
The actresses were photographed together at the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball in Los Angeles in 2017, and Berry has repeatedly spoken positively about Zendaya’s career and the opportunities she represents for younger performers.
During a 2021 Sundance Film Festival panel about progress for Black women in Hollywood, Berry pointed to Zendaya as an example of the changing landscape and praised her ability to develop ideas while maintaining creative influence over her work.
“You are proof positive that things are changing, and I couldn’t be prouder,” Berry told Zendaya at the time.
Zendaya has similarly acknowledged the women who helped open doors for the generation that followed them, saying, “Had it not been for the women before me, I wouldn’t be in this position.”
Berry has actually floated a specific idea for their eventual collaboration. During a February appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, she was asked which actress she would like to work with and immediately named Zendaya.
“There’s an actress that I love with every fiber of my being,” Berry said. “I love her and I would love to play her mother. Zendaya.”
Berry even added, “I could play her mom 100%.”
No project featuring the two actresses has been announced. For now, though, Berry’s latest comments make one thing clear: her admiration for Zendaya is not just a red-carpet moment—it has been building for years.
