CHARLIZE THERON
FROM GRIPPING DRAMAS TO BLACK COMEDIES TO FEMINIST BLOCKBUSTERS, CHARLIZE THERON CAN DO IT ALL. BUT, AS SHE TELLS EMPIRE, IT’S BEEN A CONSTANT BATTLE TO PROVE IT
The star of The Old Guard on how to remain immortal in Hollywood.
CHARLIZE THERON PAUSES and considers. “I mean, who the fuck did I think I was?”
It’s early May, and over the phone from locked-down Los Angeles, the South Africanborn actor is musing incredulously on her formative career choices. Having rocked up in Hollywood, aged 18, with $300 to her name, she proceeded to spend the next few years turning down film work. Her first manager would call up with offers to play all manner of scantily clad two-dimensional ditzes, then blow his top when Theron refused them. “He was like: ‘What is wrong with you? You have to work!’” she laughs. “I knew I was lucky to be getting offered roles, but I also knew I couldn’t just keep playing sexy girls. I was willing to sacrifice everything to hold out for something different.”
It’s fair to say that sacrifice paid off. Since bagging an Academy Award for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003’s Monster
(“one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema,” according to Roger Ebert), Theron has established herself as a Jack — and master — of all screen trades. She can do action (Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde), she can do comedy (Arrested Development, Long Shot),
she can do weird, dark dramedy (Young Adult and Tully, her superb collaborations with Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody). And every so often, she’ll fire off another critically lauded, Monsterlevel transformation — most recently as Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly in the searing sexual-harassment drama, Bombshell.
"LOOKING BACK, IT WAS CRAZY"
The reason we’re speaking today is The Old Guard — a gritty superhero outing for Netflix, and the latest in a long line of films that Theron has produced as well as starred in. Based on Greg Rucka’s graphic novel about a team of immortal soldiers, Theron plays mercenary-in-chief Andromache of Scythia (‘Andy’ to pals), who’s been kicking arse and taking names since well before the birth of Christ and is, understandably, pretty jaded as a result. Our conversation meanders all over Theron’s thrillingly unpredictable career — but first let’s get one thing straight...
How exactly do you prepare for playing a character who’s 6,000 years old?
Yes, not intimidating at all [laughs]. My initial reaction when I read the Old Guard graphic novel was that I felt there was something very grounded in Andy. That was the thing that excited me: despite the concept, she felt real, and not ‘fantasy’. So, I tried to bring a genuine exhaustion to her, and not get bogged down in the idea that she’s lived thousands of years, she’s seen it all, and she knows every kind of martial art there is.
The Old Guard definitely feels less ‘fantasy’ than other superhero films. [Director] Gina Prince-bythewood has mentioned being influenced by Zero Dark Thirty rather than, say, Marvel movies.
Yeah, our kick-off point was always to keep it grounded. There’s a real depth to the original story, and we wanted to maintain that. I remember, [my producing partners and I] were on set of Bombshell when the graphic novel was sent to us, and we couldn’t put it down. We leafed through page after page, saying: “There’s definitely something here.” This idea of a group of people with incredible abilities who don’t die easily. We knew it would be a long development process and a big put-together, but we’ve ended up with a movie that truly feels like it’s part of the real world.
You’ve talked about sparring with Keanu Reeves in the run-up to Atomic Blonde [directed by John Wick’s co-director David Leitch]. Did you get back into it with him ahead of The Old Guard?
I didn’t, but [The Old Guard] is a real crossover there because we worked with a lot of Keanu’s original fight team from the first John Wick — Danny [Hernandez] and those guys. So I feel like I’m forever embedded in the action-movie world now because, honestly, those guys are just the best in the industry.
Is it easier to make a film like this today than it was ten years ago? The likes of Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel have proved how successful female-led superhero films can be.
Well, I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to make a movie like this 15 years ago, and
Yes, I was going to ask about [sci-fi action drama] Aeon Flux...
[Laughs] Oh God, no, please don’t! I’m only bringing it up because back then [2005], I felt like you got one shot at something like that, and if you messed it up, they’d never hand it to you again [Aeon Flux was a critical and commercial flop]. So, that has definitely changed. Audiences have dictated that they have an appetite for female-led action stories.
Surely Mad Max: Fury Road played a big part in that?
I think so. It’s probably the most feminist movie I’ve ever done. I used to tell George [Miller] that when we were on the awards circuit for it: “You really did it, George!” At the time there was nothing like that, female-focused, on that scale. It was pretty ballsy of George. But the story resonated. People love that film.
It does feel like blockbusters are now finally being accepted as ‘proper cinema’.
It’s changed completely. But so has the quality of these [action] movies. There’s more character development now, brilliant storytelling. I never feel like: “I’ll do an action movie for ‘them’ so I can do Bombshell for me.” I love working in both genres.
As you mentioned, The Old Guard is based on a graphic novel. Were you a comics fan growing up?
No. I grew up in a small farm community in South Africa and I don’t think I even knew any kids who had comic books. The first time I saw a comic book I think I was 16 years old. I was like, “Woah” [laughs].
I wanted to ask a bit about the beginning of your career. I think the first film most people would have seen you in was Tom Hanks’ That Thing You Do! in 1996.
I’d actually done a movie before that called 2 Days In The Valley, but it wasn’t out when Tom cast me. So, he thought he’d “discovered” me [laughs]. I’d tell him on set: “I did a movie before this,” and he’d be like, “Nope. No you didn’t. I found you.” When we finished shooting, I got him to sign my script and he wrote, “No matter what, I will always claim to have discovered you.”
Are you still in touch?
I just wrote him a letter, actually. He collects typewriters and he sent me one when I won [the Oscar for] Monster. And this year, when I was nominated for Bombshell he sent me another with a note about how he loved my performance. He’s the kindest human. So, I wrote him a letter back on the typewriter. I’m a terrible typist, so it literally took me seven days. Tapping away with one finger.
You’ve talked a lot about turning down roles early on in order to avoid being typecast. That’s pretty gutsy for a young actor.
I’d say it’s more “stupid” [laughs]. But when I started acting, it was not a good thing if you came from the modelling industry. Cindy Crawford had just made a movie and everyone was like: “Mwa-ha-ha!” [mocking laughter]. I was aware that if I put myself in the same box every time, I’d never get out of it. So I turned stuff down if it didn’t feel right, and luckily that lead to me doing things like The Devil’s Advocate.
Which, in turn, led to things like Monster.
Yeah. I got really fucking lucky on that, too. Patty [Jenkins] was convinced I had to play that part, and I’ve never been able to understand why. She has incredibly strong instincts, and when she’s convinced about something it’s pretty powerful to witness.
Was part of the attraction of that role just to see if you were capable of it?
Yes, it was fear-based, I think. Like climbing Everest: “Let’s see if I die.” But Patty was with me and we dove into Aileen’s world together. I think, until I did that movie, I didn’t truly know what “circumstance” meant. You can’t judge somebody until you’ve actually stood in their shoes. You can say, “I would never do what Aileen did,” but you don’t know. Have you been homeless at 13? Have you had your grandfather rape you? These are circumstances you have to take into account.
Monster was the first film you produced, too. Was that about wanting some degree of control over such a challenging role?
I wish I was that smart, but no [laughs]. It was all down to my [second] manager, J.J. Harris. She knew Monster was going to be special, but she also knew it was a tricky project with a first-time director. She said, “We should get you on as a producer in order to protect yourself.” I understood how important that was a week later in a meeting with some financiers. They started talking and I realised we were intending on making completely different movies. They thought this was going to be a ‘Charlize Theron/ Christina Ricci hot lesbian movie’. I don’t think they even saw the Nick Broomfield documentary [on Wuornos]. They had no idea. Since then I’ve looked at my role as a producer like: the film always has to win.
It sounds like you enjoy producing.
I do. I love working with writers. I’m not great at writing myself, but I can feel when a script isn’t working, and I like that chemistry with a writer when you sit down and change things together. I think all actors are naturally good producers anyway. They have the experience, they know crews, they know logistics. After 20 years as an actor, you’d have to have a lobotomy to not know a lot of what producing is.
You mentioned Bombshell earlier, which you also produced. I wanted to ask about one scene in particular — when your character, Megyn Kelly, is asked by a lawyer if the sexual harassment she endured had any “long-term consequences”. Your look of dumbfounded horror at that question spoke volumes...
Oh my God, I had to fight so hard for that scene! It got cut out of the movie for a long time, and eventually I was like, “Over my dead body that scene is not going in.” Because to me [Megyn’s] reaction to a question like that was the whole point of the film: how can you possibly quantify the damage that is done to a woman when she’s belittled and harassed like that? That’s literally the reason I wanted to make the movie. Honestly, I have the biggest smile on my face right now because I fought a lot for that scene.
That kind of tenacity seems to be a recurrent theme in your career. Is it true you went up to Jason Reitman at the 2010 Oscars and said, “We have to work together”?
Yep. And then he went and got a restraining order [laughs]...
Young Adult and Tully were both so great. Are you planning to do anything else with Reitman and Diablo Cody?
We are, actually. I would work with those two until I go to my grave. I think of them as my husband and wife. With both of those projects, I felt such intrigue reading the script: “I’m really fucking fascinated by this character. I want to pick at this scab...” If that feeling isn’t there on a movie, I can’t do it.
Can you tell us anything about the new project with them?
I can’t talk about anything yet! But I’ve always made it clear that I’ll work with those two in a heartbeat. I’ve never said no to them.
On the subject of projects you probably can’t discuss, there’s talk of a Fury
Road prequel. The most recent report was that Anya Taylor-joy would play a younger version of your character, Imperator Furiosa...
It could very well be that. I have no idea right now. But I want it to happen. And if it’s a prequel then it’ll probably be a younger Furiosa. The idea [of a Furiosa spin-off ] has been around for a while, though. When we made Fury Road, George already had two other scripts ready, so who knows?
Is it true that Furiosa’s buzz-cut was your idea?
Yeah. We were getting ready to shoot in Australia [in 2010] and Furiosa was supposed to be this albino with long, white, flowing hair. Then the movie got delayed, and I sat with the character a while, and by the time we picked it up again, I called George and said: “I think I have to buzz my head.” Because the idea of making her too feminine didn’t make sense: the backstory was always that she’d hidden out in the mechanics room with the War Boys, and nobody knew she was a woman. Plus, I’d just finished the press junkets [for Snow White & The Huntsman] and I was like, “If I never have to sit in hair and make-up again I’ll be so happy!” So, yeah,
I fought for the shaved head. I fought hard just to get onto that movie. When I first met George and saw the storyboards, I lost my mind. But it was a long process. A tough shoot.
A lot’s been written about you and Tom Hardy not getting along during shooting.
We were both really put to the test on it. We were in the [Namibian] desert for months, stepping into this iconic film universe, poor Tom Hardy having to fill Mel Gibson’s shoes. It was a lot to deal with. Plus, there was no script. We didn’t know what we’d be shooting each day. Today, I have complete trust in George: if he told me to put on a monkey suit and climb a tree, I’d do it. But back then I’d never worked that way. It was difficult. When shooting ended, Tom gave me this self-portrait he’d done — a modern interpretation of him as Max. I didn’t hang it up for many years because I hadn’t fully processed our relationship. But now I can see we were both so fucking scared making that movie, and my heart is filled with nothing but empathy and love for him because our experience was one of complete madness. So, today, the painting is up in my office.
Finally, away from acting and producing, is there anything you’d still love to do? Directing, maybe?
I do think I’ll direct at some point. I’m not jumping out of my skin to do it, but I can see myself doing it in future, for sure. But I’m a creative snob so with anything I do — acting, producing, whatever — I have to really dig it. Otherwise it’s just not worth it. It’s too hard! Especially with action stuff. At my age, I’ve got to really think about it because, honestly, my knees are not my friends anymore.
THE OLD GUARD IS ON NETFLIX FROM 10 JULY