Photo: Coronji Calhoun/instagram
Coronji Calhoun Sr., the actor who playedHalle Berry’s son Tyrell Musgrove in the 2001 filmMonster’s Ball, has died. He was 30.
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Both Berry andMonster’s Ballproducer Lee Daniels appeared to contribute to the GoFundMe, with donations of $3,394 each.
Calhoun’s sole acting credit wasMonster’s Ball,in which he played the put-upon son of Berry’s lead character Leticia Musgrove. Calhoun was cast in the role after an open casting call in Louisiana, according to theSF Gate.
The film follows Leticia as she endures the execution of her death row inmate husband (Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs), only to fall in love with the prison guard (Billy Bob Thornton) who flipped the switch. Leticia also loses her son Tyrell (Calhoun) after a horrific accident.
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Monster’s Ball,which costarredHeath Ledger, earned Berry an Oscar for Best Actress. She made history for becoming the first woman of color to win in the lead category.
Prior to the 2002 Academy Awards, Berry reflected on how difficult it was to act abusive toward Calhoun in the film, whom her character berates for being extremely overweight.
“It was a lot harder than even the love scene because (Coronji) was really 10 [years old] and obese,” Berry shared with theGateat the time.
“I worried that I would somehow damage him emotionally, not just in doing the scene, but down the road. So I talked to him a lot and hugged and kissed him a lot. He said, ‘You don’t have to worry about what you say; it can’t be as bad as how they treat me at school,’ " Berry continued. “But I hear now he’s the most popular kid in his school. So I guess (the movie) helped.”
source: people.com
