The actress had to investigate Wournos's past to understand her, and thus be able to emulate the feelings of frustration and resentment that she possessed.
Today we remember for you the occasion in which Charlize Theron got into the skin of Aileen Wuornos, a former prostitute executed in 2002 for having killed seven men between 1989 and 1990. The film 'Monster' (2003) was praised by critics , but especially Theron's performance for the courage to take on a character of an unattractive and unstable woman. For the role of her, the famous actress gained about 15 kilos, used prosthetics both in the face and in parts of the body, and a dental prosthesis.
Wuornos was abandoned by her parents and grew up in a shady family environment, raised by her alcoholic grandmother and her grandfather who began abusing her from an early age; Perhaps this explains her disdain and her behavior with men, since Wuornos had relationships with people of the female sex. After her tragic youth, Aileen began a criminal life that led her to prostitution, a job that brought her fatal consequences.
Theron's chameleonic transformation is so amazing that it's hard to identify the beautiful actress as the film unfolds.
“She didn't like herself, she didn't like her body, so I decided to put on fifteen kilos. I knew that I also had to feel like I didn't like my body to get into that state of mind," Charlize explained.
Theron had to investigate Wournos's past to understand why she acted like this, managing to emulate the feelings of frustration and resentment that she possessed. Alongside her, actress Christina Ricci plays Wournos's partner (Theron), also offering a formidable performance, and bringing to the film the complexity of their relationship.
Theron's authentic work as Aileen Wuornos earned her the Oscar for Best Actress, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Drama and the SAG Award for Best Actress, among the important accolades. While delivering her acceptance speech at the Oscars, Theron reminisced about Ricci, expressing her admiration for her work on the film.
The former model managed to break all stereotypes, proving that an actress of incomparable beauty can also give formidable performances. Critic Roger Ebert (Chicago sun-times) called her performance one of the best performances in movie history.
