Pregnant Halle Berry Testifies in Favor of California's Anti-Paparazzi Bill

"My daughter doesn't want to go to school because she knows ‘the men' are watching for her," the actress explained

By Bruna Nessif Jun 25, 2013 9:25 PMTags
Halle Berry, CourtAP Photo/Steve Yeater

Halle Berry wants to protect her loved ones.

The pregnant actress appeared at the California capitol today to testify for a bill that would limit the ability of shutterbugs to photograph celebs' children, sharing that her own daughter Nahla is afraid of "the men" that pay close attention and take pictures of her, according to The Washington Post.

"My daughter doesn't want to go to school because she knows ‘the men' are watching for her," the Academy Award winner told the Assembly Committee on Public Safety.

Berry, who said she was speaking in favor of the anti-harassment bill by Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, as a "mother of a daughter and the baby boy in my belly," also added, "They jump out of the bushes and from behind cars and who knows where else, besieging these children just to get a photo."

"If it passes, the quality of my life and my children's lives will be dramatically changed," she said.

The actress also shared a story about one run-in which occurred after landing back in Los Angeles from a family trip to Hawaii, claiming that paps attempted to start a fight with her fiancé Olivier Martinez apparently to get more money for the photo, and that this event terrified her little girl.

"She asked, ‘Mommy, are they going to kill us?' She didn't get to sleep until 3 a.m. because she can't get this out of her mind, and she doesn't understand what just happened to her."

The bill is going to the Assembly Judiciary Committee, where the language will be adjusted to provide protection for the First Amendment rights of journalists gathering news.

Through that process, the bill is expected to alter the definition of harassment to include photographing or recording a child without the permission of a legal guardian by following the child or guardian's activities or by lying in wait.

Additionally, the penalty for people convicted of this behavior will be increased, with first-time offenders possibly facing 10 days to one year in jail.