Halle Berry Writes Heartfelt Tribute to Boyfriend Van Hunt After Her Inspiring Critics Choice Awards Speech

Halle Berry has a lot of love for her boyfriend, Van Hunt. The actress took to Instagram on Monday to share a message of appreciation, and a sweet snapshot of the cute couple.

Berry posted a photo of herself and Hunt decked out to the nines at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, where the Oscar winner was honored with the prestigious SeeHer Award.

Berry sweetly captioned the photo in tribute to her boyfriend, writing, "When your man lifts you higher than you ever thought you could go! ❤️"

On Sunday, Berry and Hunt attended the star-studded awards show, and he cheered her on from the audience when she took the stage to accept the SeeHer Award.

During her speech, Berry delivered one of the highlight moments of the night with an inspiring and impassioned message that Berry later said, in an Instagram post after the event, was meant for "every person who has felt diminished, misunderstood, marginalized and discounted."

After being presented the honor by Issa Rae, an excited Berry shared a behind-the-scenes story of how she came to star in her 2020 directorial debut, Bruised.

"The first time I read the script for Bruised... I realized the role wasn't written for someone who looked like me. So I went to the producers, and I asked, 'Why not me? Why can't it be a black woman?' They said, 'Why not?' Later on, they told me, 'Go find a director.' And finally, I summoned the courage to say, 'Why not me?' They said, 'Why not?'" she recalled. "Finally, when the film came out, I asked someone what he thought of the move. He said, 'I have a hard time watching a woman getting battered and beaten. It made me feel uncomfortable.'"

"And in that moment, I knew exactly why I had to tell the story. I knew exactly the power of the story," she continued. "Because I said, 'If you had a hard time, if it made you uncomfortable watching that story, imagine being that woman, living that story.'"

"This is why I am so grateful to be standing and living in this moment where women are standing up and we are telling our own stories," Berry continued in part. "Because you know why? We will write, we will produce, we will direct, and if we are brave enough, we will start in it, all at the same time!"

"We will tell stories that capture us fully in all of our multitudes and contradictions. We are confident and we're scared. We are vulnerable and we're strong. We are beautiful and we're bruised. We're everything and all of it -- and all at the same time!" Berry declared to cheers. "Because if we deny our complexity, then we deny our humanity. We won't always be pretty and we will never be perfect. But what we will be is always honest and true, no matter how uncomfortable that makes you."

Berry concluded by dedicating the SeeHer honor to "every little girl who feels unseen and unheard."

"This is our way of saying, to you, we love you and we see you! And you deserve every good thing in this world!" Berry said, as she walked off to a standing ovation.

For more on Berry's relationship with Hunt, see the video below.

Halle Berry on Fans Loving Her Romance With Van Hunt and What ‘Bruised’s Success Means to Her (Exclusive)

RELATED CONTENT:

Halle Berry Delivers Inspiring Speech at 2022 Critics Choice Awards

Halle Berry Celebrates Van Hunt's Birthday by Posing in Just His Shirt

Halle Berry Jokes Ellen DeGeneres Could Have 'Saved Me 3 Marriages'

Halle Berry's 'Moonfall' Movie Role Was Originally Imagined for a Man