Halle Berry‘s role in her upcoming psychological thriller, Never Let Go, offered the Oscar winner a taste of what it would be like if she ever (keyword, ever) had to go to extreme lengths to protect her children.

While speaking to ET’s Cassie DiLaura at CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Berry explained that playing the role of a protective mother to fraternal twin sons (Percy Daggs IV and Anthony B. Jenkins) tormented by an evil spirit made her think of her own kids, daughter Nahla Ariela, 16, whom she shares with ex Gabriel Aubry, and son Maceo-Robert, 10, whom she shares with ex-husband Olivier Martinez.

“You know, we say as mama bears … we say, ‘I will take a bullet for my kids. I will do anything for my kids,'” Berry tells ET. “This [role] gave me an opportunity to really play that scenario out, right, to really take a bullet for my kids. Like, really put my life out there for them in a real way. And so, yes, I think of my real kids every step of the way. It’s who I am. It’s what makes me.”

In the Alexandre Aja-directed project, Berry’s family is tormented by an evil spirit. The family is convinced to never let go of their family’s protective bond, but when one of Berry’s sons question if this evil spirit is even real, that familial bond is shattered and Berry’s character finds herself fighting for the family’s survival.

Berry admits the film, slated to hit theaters Sept. 27, is terrifying, especially after what the role put her through, like adopting method acting and having to skin a squirrel for the role.

“My daughter would be slightly grossed out and wondering why I would do that to a squirrel,” Berry says. “My son probably won’t see it. He’s a little scared, like, I don’t know, he might have nightmares. I don’t know if he should see it just yet.”

But Nahla, who now towers over Berry, is just like her mom. She’s all in.

“She just saw The Shining and she was like, ‘This is a cross between The Shining and Get Out,'” Berry shares. “I shouldn’t be saying that, I know. Who am I to say? But when I read the script that’s what I thought of, those two movies.”

In her long, storied career in Hollywood, Berry’s played powerful women, from Bruised and Kidnap to X-Men and Kings. But this genre’s been particularly one of her all-time favorites.

“The Shining was one of my favorite movies as a kid,” Berry says. “I love adrenaline. I love scares. I love feeling manipulated this way by filmmakers, you know, to make me believe.”

Never Let Go hits theaters Sept. 27.

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