Everyone who heard Halle Berry just got a star said the same thing “How did she not have a star?? She’s an Oscar winner!” And they would be spot on except for one thing: The Hollywood Walk of Fame has very little to do with fame or merit. You see, like everything else in Hollywood, it’s for sale.
I’ve known this for awhile but people are always freshly surprised when I break the news that you buy your star when you need some pub (like Halle REALLY needs for the crappy Perfect Stranger flick). Read this article. A star cost you 15k and you have to fill out an application. You think Halle couldn’t have filed the paperwork after her Oscar and gotten accepted? C’mon. As long as you’re relatively famous and have 15k you’re in. So let’s not act like these stars mean something other than as a marketing tool.
For instance, guess who doesn’t have a star? Al Pacino. Does anyone in the universe think Berry has accomplished more than Pacino? The reason Al doesn’t have one is simple. He’s a star. He doesn’t need to file paperwork or pay money to have a glorified street plaque tell him so. The more you know!