Halle Berry struggles to accept compliments about her appearance

Halle Berry finds it difficult to accept compliments about her looks.

The Oscar-winning actress, who began her career on the beauty pageant circuit, is often praised for her good looks and was once ranked No 1 on People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People list.

However, the Die Another Day star has admitted that she still recoils whenever anyone comments on her appearance, because she wants to be known as more than a pretty face.

"I die a thousand deaths. It becomes a hard compliment to accept. Year after year after year. When you're striving to be more," she told The Times. "I've worked really hard as an actor, and still to be reduced to a beautiful face it's like, hey, wait a minute. Come on."

Despite that, she always politely responds to any compliments that come her way, noting that people who recognise her on the street often remark that she's "so pretty" or "prettier than I thought you'd be".

"I say, 'Thank you.' And I smile. Because you're an a*shole if you say anything else," she stated.

Berry acknowledged that her Crime 101 co-star Chris Hemsworth is often objectified too, but suggests that he isn't asked about his looks as regularly in interviews.

"He's undeniably a handsome man. Women would come up to him and they're twisting out of their bodies," she shared. "So I get it. But I don't think he gets asked about it the way I have been asked about beauty my whole career."

In Crime 101, Hemsworth plays a gentleman jewel thief alongside Mark Ruffalo as the detective on his tail. Berry portrays Sharon, a high-end insurance broker who gets caught up in the case.

The film will be released in cinemas on 13 February.