CHARLIZE THERON: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GREAT ACTRESS
"Long Shot" is a new movie, which has received the best reviews. Today he tells us about his career and life
Famous for the action productions of Hancock, Mad Max or Aeon Flux, in addition to the film version of Snow White and the Oscar for her transformation into the drama 'Monster', it is difficult to recognize Charlize Theron when she arrives at the Caesar Palace hotel in Las Vegas.
With a total change of look and film style, she presented the film ‘Almost Impossible’ (Long Shot) that even received the Cinemacon Best Comedy award after winning the Audience trophy for Best Direction, at the SXSW Film Festival
"Long Shot" is a new movie, which has received the best reviews. Today she tells us about her career and life
Famous for the action productions of Hancock, Mad Max or Aeon Flux, in addition to the film version of Snow White and the Oscar for her transformation into the drama 'Monster', it is difficult to recognize Charlize Theron when she arrives at the Caesar Palace hotel in Las Vegas.
With a total change of look and film style, she presented the film ‘Almost Impossible’ (Long Shot) that even received the Cinemacon Best Comedy award after winning the Audience trophy for Best Direction, at the SXSW Film Festival
- How does an Oscar compare to the awards you are receiving with the comedy ‘Long Shot’?
- It's wonderful, but at the South By Southwest film festival especially, we were all quite nervous, because before we had great experiences at the same festival.
And nerves I suppose are inevitable because in our work we all have a certain fear of failure.
- In your real life, have you ever lived a particular moment where you thought something was 'Almost Impossible' and yet you got it?
- I left home at 16… I was born and raised in South Africa, but I had never gotten on a plane before when I left home for the United States at 16, without even speaking English well.
If I think about it now, I could believe that I had terrible parents, but I am very happy that my mother achieved that 'long shot', 'almost impossible'. It is a real madness, imagining back then what I live, today.
Although Charlize Theron was born in the South African city of Benoni, near Johannesburg (August 7, 1975 for those who want to know her age), her beauty has German influence from mother Gerda and also a French touch from father Charles.
But it is true that she was just 16 years old when, having passed through the world of fashion and ballet, she decided on acting, driven by her own mother who gave her the plane ticket and a check for 500 dollars to search for the almost impossible dreamed of success in Hollywood.
The road was not easy at first, either. The year 1994 marked her calendar and luck did not seem to be on her side. While she failed in the first auditions, she could not even cash that check from her mother, because it was from a foreign account.
But the scandal she made at the bank was a movie ... Enough for a representative who was present to give him her card, asking her to learn the language well.
Soap operas were the first private lessons in English, until she got her first job in a film production, without any dialogue and with just three seconds of screen time.
It was just a matter of waiting. And little by little, his characters grew, from the very production ‹That Thing You Do› directed by Tom Hanks or ‹The Devil's Advocate› with Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino, as well as ‹Cider House Rules› with Paul Rudd and ‹The Italian Job› with Mark Whalberg.
She even turned down the lead in ‹Pearl Harbor› to film ‹Sweet November› with Keanu Reeves ›, until the effort was finally recognized with the movie‹ Monster› and the first Oscar for Best Actress, for playing the real murderous prostitute Aileen Wuornos. who was sentenced to death for murdering her clients (She is the first and only South African to win an Oscar!).
She in a way she added a good sense of humor to the world of action movies, when she played the ex-wife of Will Smith's alcoholic superhero Hancock.
She was also the evil queen of 'Snow White and the Huntsman' and 'The Huntsman: Winter' s War '(at the time she experienced another style of girlfriend action with Sean Penn), in addition to having become the Furious protagonist of the action of 'Mad Max: Fury Road', before becoming the secret spy of 'Atomic Blonde', who is also about to film a second chapter.
- A year ago it would have been ‘Almost Impossible’ to imagine your name next to Seth Rogen in a comedy like ‘Long Shot’. Who called who first?
- Seth (Rogen) called me but I always wanted to work with him. If something impresses me enough it is when an actor manages to cross the two worlds of serious cinema and comedy.
It is the dream of any actor and for me, his work in both genres inspires me. That's why I didn't hesitate to work together, especially something like that where I don't feel so comfortable either.
- Why is it that I find it difficult to remember a comedy of yours in the cinema, beyond the good humor of Hancock's action?
- Well, I had been in the television comedy 'Arrested Development' before (in the character of Rita, which can be seen today on Netflix with the episodes 'Mr F' or 'The Ocean Water'), but today I am happy with to be in a movie production where no one dies.
My friends stopped going to the movies to see me a long time ago, but now they are going to see this one (laughs). To tell you the truth, at first I was afraid but I am always looking for new challenges to try to avoid repeating myself, always trying to learn something new.
And after 25 years, it feels good to be able to do it.
- What did you like the most?
- We are living very silly times today, where everything sounds so ridiculous that it is good to go to the movies to laugh at the world ... at least you are going to get a few hours of happiness in your life.
It's probably a good movie to go with as a couple, although I'm single, so singles can also go and enjoy our cinema, with friends (Laughter).
- How true is the motto “It is more difficult to make people laugh than to cry”?
- It was not a very easy movie to make because our director Jonathan Levine wanted to film a super production and we flew from one side to the other.
Also, with Seth Rogen, we were both the producers as well.
- And why don't we see you so often in the comedy genre?
- I didn't think I could do them justice, although I love them. It wasn't until Seth Rogen passed the script to me that I figured it could be a lot of fun to film.
- Do not you think that nowadays it is not so funny to see that in the cinema a woman becomes President of the United States?
- Yes, but there it is not ‘Almost Impossible’ (Laughter). In the film, Seth (Rogen) plays a journalist who is out of work and I hire him to write my speeches, as I am about to run for President.
But to know if I become President of the United States, you have to go to the movies.
- Is it much easier to imagine that story because it is a comedy?
- The character is based on certain realities, but I don't think it's that controversial either.
Nobody can argue today the style of person who can become President, because he is no longer the type of person we are used to.
Fame generates a certain political power. That is why that style of ideas also liked us, because it recognizes reality without trying to give an opinion on it.
- Beyond the fiction and the comedy factor was there some research in the development behind a certain reality of the story?
- Yes, we spoke with people who worked with Secretaries of State and Seth also spoke with someone who is dedicated to writing speeches who also worked with presidential candidates and the Secretary of State.
He also passed us the script to discuss the issue, because we all wanted to give the story a certain level of reality, although we never had the goal of filming any documentary either.
- Did they let you give your opinion and give your own ideas?
- Yes, the experience was a total group collaboration. From the beginning, we all had the same goal, we wanted to make the same movie.
And many times I think it is important to achieve what you also propose. We work very hard. Although it was a comedy, we had a lot of challenges, but we also had fun filming.
- How good is Seth Rogen's sense of humor, behind the scenes?
- I love him, he has his own ‘charm’. I feel like he put me under his wings in a production with all the Seth Rogen style, where he shows his sense of humor, but I also feel like he took care of me at all times.
- And your change of look with dark hair color is it for a new movie?
- It could be ... I still haven't made up my mind. I'm about to shoot a new movie and I'm trying to make a decision, but it may well turn out to be something very similar.
It's a big change and I wanted to have enough time to get used to it. I didn't want to do something that would make me think afterwards "What did I do?" It wouldn't have been very funny.
Monster (2003)
A Patty Jenkins tape about "Aileen Wuornos" serial killer who seduced men and then killed them. Charlize had the opportunity to demonstrate her histrionic ability, in addition to the fact that she looked unrecognizable with her characterization. The role of her won him an Oscar.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
George Miller returned to the franchise to introduce Tom Hardy as the new "Max" and one of the best female characters of this millennium: "Furiosa", played by Charlize Theron. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic world. Haven't you seen it? You miss out on a fascinating action-packed film.
Young Adult (2011)
Here, Charlize has a unique role in her filmography: an abhorrent and self-centered being with the Peter Pan syndrome who, in the midst of a life crisis, proposes to return to her old high school boyfriend, although that means breaking the happy marriage that he has. A movie worth watching
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
She worked alongside Al Pacino and the then Hollywood "pretty boy" Keanu Reeves. It was a challenge for the almost unknown Charlize, who rose to the occasion and, even today, is one of her best roles. A classic.
North Country (2005)
It is a film by director Niki Caro, in which she tells the story of “Josey” (Theron), who is mistreated by her husband, so she decides to return to her hometown in northern Minnesota in search of a job in the iron mines. For this film she received an Oscar nomination.
