Halle Berry injured while filming MMA movie ‘Bruised’ in N.J., forcing rescheduling of Newark scenes

Halle Berry

Halle Berry in May. Berry is making her directorial debut with "Bruised," the story of an MMA fighter seeking redemption.Valerie Macon | AFP | Getty Images

“Bruised,” Halle Berry’s new movie and directorial debut, was set to film in Newark on Monday, but the production had to reschedule after the star sustained an injury during a fight scene.

In the film, Berry, 53, stars as Jackie, or “Justice,” a mixed martial arts fighter who has to work her way back from ruin and reunite with her 6-year-old son, Manny.

“Halle got slightly injured in the fight,” executive producer Brian Pitt tells NJ Advance Media. "She’s tired. She needed a break.”

Filming was scheduled for Monday at Mack’s Elite Heat Boxing Gym on Mount Pleasant Avenue, where it was to continue for a week. Signs announcing parking restrictions are posted along the street and neighboring roads. A sign on the gym says “Gym closed till 12/2/19. Do not enter!”

Pitt would not elaborate on the nature of Berry’s injury, though he says it is “nothing serious." Regardless, producers moved to reschedule gym scenes for another time.

“Occasionally what’s going to happen is an actor might get a little injured, and we might adjust scheduling around them a little bit," says Pitt, who grew up in West Orange.

Last week, the production filmed in Atlantic City. Producers have also scouted locations in Trenton and Camden.

“We’re doing our best to showcase Jersey the best we can," Pitt says.

He said filming would likely resume on Friday, but that locations would probably be shuffled.

Halle Berry movie "Bruised"

Mack's Elite Heat Boxing Gym in Newark is being used as a filming location for "Bruised."Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

“We are in the process of just moving things around for actor availability," Pitt says.

The possibility of actors being sidelined by injuries is always present on a film about MMA fighters, especially considering real-life fighters are participating in the movie.

“We have fighters coming in from around the country, and they get injured in other bouts,” he says.

On social media, Berry, who became the first black woman to win the lead actress Oscar in 2002 (for “Monster’s Ball”), has called the chance to direct her own movie a dream come true.

Last week, the actress and director filmed under the huge barrel vault ceiling at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. An octagon ring had been set up inside the venue.

In order to get in fighting shape, Berry trained for eight months. She posted a photo of the fruits of her labor — six-pack abs — on Instagram.

For “Bruised,” Berry is working with the fight choreographers from another of her recent films, “John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum."

Elite Heat is the home boxing gym for Newark native Shakur Stevenson, 22, who holds the World Boxing Organization featherweight title. He also won a silver medal in the bantamweight division at the 2016 Olympics. Roseland’s Vito Mielnicki Jr., 17, also trains there.

Speaking to NJ Advance Media on Saturday, Kenneth Gifford, director of the Newark Office of Film and Television, expected filming to continue through December. The production is scheduled to film for up to 18 days at various locations across the city, he said.

In Atlantic City, the movie is expected to benefit from a 37% tax credit, 2% of which may be approved because “Bruised” has a diversity plan.

Berry took some time out last week for a heartfelt talk with members of the Atlantic City Xclusive Drill Team, according to a report in The Press of Atlantic City. She encouraged the students on the team to pursue their dreams, whatever the obstacle, and used her work on the movie as a prime example.

“The problem was, it wasn’t written for somebody like me, or any of you,” she told them. “It was written for a 21-year-old, and I’m nowhere near 21. It was written for a 21-year-old white girl that lived in — somewhere else. She didn’t live in a neighborhood that I would be growing up in.”

Berry said she worked with writers to change the script.

“My whole life has been about fighting,” she told the Atlantic City group. “Being a woman of color, I have never had an easy path. I’ve had to always make a way out of no way."

Halle Berry's movie "Bruised"

Parking restrictions are in effect in Newark for the movie.Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Have a tip? Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.