Halle Berry didn't want to play "the gorgeous girl" when she first started out in the film industry.

She said: "I didn't want to play the gorgeous girl. I came from the world of beauty pageants and modelling and right away when people heard that I got discounted as an actor.

"I took on roles early on that really didn't rely on my physical self at all and that was a good way to sort of get some credibility within my industry."

In fact, the 50-year-old actress had a hard time convincing Spike Lee to cast her as a "crack ho" in his movie 'Jungle Fever'.

She added: "Spike Lee wanted me to read for the part of his wife and I read that part fine enough, but then I said to Spike, 'You know I really am eyeing this crack ho role, can you please let me audition for that?' And he said, 'No, no I don't see you as the crack ho.'"

However after a little convincing, Spike did cast Halle and she admits it was a "major" thing for her.

She shared: "And it was an amazing way to start my career, playing a crack ho being directed by Spike Lee. It was major for me."

Meanwhile, Halle also admitted she struggled to get an audition for 'Monster's Ball'.

She told W magazine: "[Director] Lee Daniels didn't want to see me read. He was actually disgusted by the thought. He thought there's no way and my argument to him was, just because someone looks a certain way doesn't mean that they are spared adversity.

"I thought, 'My looks haven't spared me one hardship or one hurt moment or one painful situation. So please, you know, give me a shot at this.'"