Halle Berry says ‘I was the lucky one’ in Morris Chestnut love scenes

As Halle Berry and Morris Chestnut visited Chicago recently to promote their film “The Call” (opening Friday), the two actors made it clear they enjoyed working together for the first time.

“What’s not to like?” said Chestnut with a wink. “I get to play Halle Berry’s boyfriend!”

Not missing a beat, the Oscar-winning actress shot back, “I think most of the women in the world — and maybe a few men — would think I was the lucky one, since I get to kiss Morris Chestnut!”

Sure, with 40 or 50 crew people watching. And how was it?

Berry smiled slyly. “That’s for me to know,” but Chestnut didn’t hesitate to rave about his co-star.

“When you’re in a romantic scene it often is very staged. They’re telling you, ‘Move this way. Roll over this way.’ … That kind of thing.

“But when you’re with Halle Berry, it’s like there’s nobody else around. It’s just you and Halle Berry!”

Despite that lighthearted opening, the conversation quickly turned serious, given the grim circumstances in “The Call.” Berry plays a 911 operator who has to face a twisted serial killer — not once, but twice. Chestnut portrays a police officer romantically involved with Berry’s character.

For much of the shoot, Berry said she sometimes felt a bit disconnected from what would become the final movie as edited.

“You have to remember that most of my scenes involved me talking on the phone through a headset with Abigail Breslin [who plays a girl kidnapped on Berry’s watch]. It’s a lot more challenging when you don’t have another actor to interact with directly …without the ability to look into their eyes and watch the way they move.”

For Berry and Chestnut, both parents to daughters, the concept of girls being kidnapped is disturbing. “I’m horrified whenever I hear one of those stories in the news,” said Chestnut. “Even if I didn’t have a child, I would be upset, but of course when you think about your own child, your own daughter, those stories hit much harder and closer to home.”

Berry added that she is even more protective of her daughter, Nahla, since filming “The Call.”

“I’ve always been a big Mama Bear type anyway,” said Berry. “It’s just now I’m focused on teaching my daughter in the years ahead how to protect herself and how to be aware of the ugliness that does exist in our world.”

While the focus of “The Call” is on the serial killer snatching up beautiful young girls in Southern California, the stars stressed that the film is supposed to be a tense, often chilling thriller.

“I’m fairly sure that it will keep people on the edge of their seats from start to finish,” said Berry. “And, I’m particularly happy that I also get to play a part in the nice little twist that is thrown in at the end!”