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Halle Berry Told Bryan Singer 'Kiss My Black A--' While Filming X2 , Claims Costar Alan Cumming

Halle Berry - Bryan Singer
Halle Berry - Bryan Singer

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Halle Berry and Bryan Singer once engaged in a tense exchange on the set of 2003's X2: X-Men United, according to one of her costars.

In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir, Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life, obtained by Page Six, X2 star Alan Cumming recounts the moment when Berry, 55, told Singer, 56, to "kiss my Black a--."

The moment was preceded by an intervention staged by the X2 cast, who confronted Singer about his behavior on set, claims Cumming. Singer "has himself admitted he was using painkillers at the time," Cumming, 56, writes in his memoir, per Page Six.

X-2: X-men 2 (X2) Halle Berry, Storm (Character) Alan Cumming, Nightcrawler (Character) Film and Television
X-2: X-men 2 (X2) Halle Berry, Storm (Character) Alan Cumming, Nightcrawler (Character) Film and Television

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Cumming was joined by Berry and their X2 costars, including Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, James Marsden and Famke Janssen, as the group of actors attempted to raise their concerns with Singer.

Berry specifically "spoke movingly of people she had known with drug issues," Cumming writes. After a pause, Singer allegedly told the group, "You people … are full of f------ s---!"

Cumming writes that Singer told him and his costars that "none of us had ever made a decent film" and that the actors "were lucky to be working with him."

In response, Berry said, "I've heard enough," and left the trailer where the intervention was taking place, according to Cumming. As she walked away, she said, "You can kiss my Black a--," Cumming recalls in his book.

When reached for comment by PEOPLE, Berry's rep did not respond by time of publication. Contacts at Singer's production company also did not reply to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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Cumming writes that production on X2 was put on pause following the intervention, and after plenty of back-and-forth between 20th Century Fox and lawyers, the cast was urged to "muddle through" their remaining work on the film.

A July Hollywood Reporter article detailed the same alleged incident, noting that X2 executive producer Tom DeSanto "attempted to halt shooting when he learned that Singer was incapacitated after taking a narcotic."

DeSanto was allegedly concerned about safety onset after learning that some crewmembers had also taken the drug, but Singer continued to shoot and Jackman was injured on set, after which the cast staged their intervention.

A rep for Singer denied the account in THR, telling the outlet at the time, "nothing like that ever happened."

Speaking of her experience with Singer in a 2020 Variety interview, Berry said the director was "not the easiest" to work with, adding, "I mean, everybody's heard the stories — I don't have to repeat them — and heard of his challenges, and what he struggles with.

"I would sometimes be very angry with him," she said. "I got into a few fights with him, said a few cuss words out of sheer frustration. When I work, I'm serious about that. And when that gets compromised, I get a little nutty. But at the same time, I have a lot of compassion for people who are struggling with whatever they're struggling with, and Bryan struggles."