In honor of tonight’s Academy Awards, I would like to send a special shout out to video guls all over the world. I concede that, I, too, have mocked many a “video model” that has popped, twirked, and dropped it to the floor in several rapper’s videos trying to convince us, the general public, that their spirited gyrations serve as nothing more than stepping stones to their true life callings: careers as serious actresses.

Ever cynical, I have often lumped that fodder as nothing more than utter bullshit and a piss poor way of deflecting from the obvious: A video set comprised of exposed ass cheeks, Christal, and barely-literate emcees a successful acting career not make. However, 2:12 into this video I began to question such logic. And then, at 2:57 into the video, I realized that it’s my logic that’s flawed.

That’s right: That is exactly who you think it is. The first black actress to win the coveted Best Actress Oscar and eternal victim herself, Halle “Do Something To Make Me Feel Good” Berry. From the looks of this dramatic scene performed in the video for “Honey Love,” a personal favorite of mine from the 90s, Halle seems to be already practicing for the role she would later tackle more than a decade later that would lead to her winning her Oscar.

So, if you, like me, have chastised these burgeoning actresses for allowing themselves to be defiled for chump change, perhaps you ought to be a little less judgmental, as yesterday’s debasement can lead to tomorrow’s place on the A-List. Don’t be surprised if you one day see Melyssa Ford thanking Jesus and Jay-Z for the opportunities bestowed on her. Halle Berry doesn’t even have rhythm in the video, and look where she is today!