Charlize Theron Interview

Charlize Theron in The Italian Job

Charlize Theron’s played opposite a big gorilla, dressed in skin tight latex, acted with Mark Wahlberg and, oh yeah, won an Oscar for her other worldly portrayal of Aileen Wuornos. She gets inside all of this here.

by Chris Neumer

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EDWARD T. KRUPKA: First of all, kudos to you. I wanted to congratulate you on a magnificent performance. How you actually did it — went into her role and became her — the transformation is —was — so phenomenal. How did you do it?

CHARLIZE THERON: Thank you. Actually Patty and I talked pretty briefly about getting everything and it just never happened. So we tried to find — I mean, we just became scavengers and tried to find as much as we possibly could. Video footage on her, stories, documentaries, audio — but the greatest thing for me, on an emotional level, was the fact that she had written for 12 years when she was on death row to one of her friends — her only friend in Michigan. Two rooms filled with letters. So Patty and I went to Michigan; and for two days in her house just reading every single day absorbing this and seeing what happens when you’re on death row you’ve got nothing to lose. You become very honest and, uh, open. That was the point that I really felt I truly understood what she had gone through in life. Which, it didn’t necessarily make it any easier, but it was right there…

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: What you went through was so taxing and all that — you know, trying to channel her emotions, her pains, her retributions. How did you actually feel about that? What actually went through… I mean, because it was truly emotional in that respect.

CHARLIZE THERON: I don’t know how to play other people’s emotions without using my own. It’s not how I was trained as an actor. The only thing I know how to do is substitute my own emotion for their pain and loss and betrayal. Um, so I-I think as an actor — well, for me as an actor, the journey becomes very, very personal and then, um, you know, very public. That’s the only way I know how to put it out there. That’s the only way I know how to work and I could find those things in me that I could relate to the pain that she’s gone through. What she must have gone through was on such a level that I can’t even have imagined, but I have to try and get as possibly close as I could to that in my own life.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: You shocked many people with your physical transformation. I mean — you know, the weight gain of 30 pounds, the blotchy skin, far from the glamorous roles that you usually play. How was it to come up with that character? And I mean, basically, you did a Raging Bull. Could you go a bit into that?

Stumped-Magazine-Charlize-Theron-Snow-White-and-the-HuntsmanCHARLIZE THERON: I just — I-I didn’t want it to be the kind of thing where transforming me into Aileen — which we had to do and I knew we had to do — where it became just about prosthetics and a fat suit… and I think I knew very early on that part of me understanding her journey of who she was… the only way I was going to do that was to really truly get myself in a place where I felt the same things she might have felt. She wrote in a letter when she-she was a prostitute, she never took her shirt off. She had a baby when she 13; she didn’t like her body. So, I wanted to get my body to a place, where I felt like, you know, naturally I’m very athletic looking and I didn’t — I don’t know how I could have played that part with this body. I knew I had to transform my body to get myself into her physical skin — the way she moved in her body. And so, I think, for me as an actor, I really… I love that aspect. I don’t think — I mean, I’ve tried very hard in my career to change and transform. But, I’ve never done anything like this. But you know, you try in-in as many subtle ways as you possibly can do for-for a characterization. You know, I come from a dance background; I told stories with my body-my body for 12 years. That stayed with me. I still feel that’s part of my job. Tell it with your mouth instead of this.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: Now, Patty, she was an AFI grad. How do you two come together and, uh, form this symbiotic friendship-sisterhood thing? I dunno, once you two gals put it on the screen, you blew it outta the water. What was the main fundamental time between you two, and uh, how did you, uh, how did she warm up to you and you to her?

CHARLIZE THERON: …Well, Patty and I actually met, well, because of this script. And the warming up part was… we just hit it off immediately. Patty was looking at some people for this role when I heard about this script she had written on Aileen Wuornos. I had no idea she existed. But I knew this was a great script. After talking to Patty, I knew I was in the right hands with her.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: What did it take for you to gain the weight for the role?

CHARLIZE THERON: [Chuckles] A ton of potato chips!

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: Really. This is a very cerebral role for you. Far different than anything else you ever did. How did you get so deep into the role?

CHARLIZE THERON: Being an actor, I went into where I think she would have been. Becoming the-the character — like the transformation was there, but I felt that’s when I really had to channel into my own stuff and delved deep into the character. It was a very opening experience.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: How did you first hear about the project?

CHARLIZE THERON: I had just wrapped up another movie when I heard about this script. I read a lot of scripts. It’s pretty rote. Act 1, Act 2 — tie book ending… Basic. Nothing changes. But, then I read the script; I was like, ‘Whoa!’ The characters — I mean, I was blown away by the writing. I didn’t know she existed. And she’s this very conflicted, troubled woman. I find that the guys tend to get those parts. But I knew Patty wrote this great script. So I met with Patty and we totally clicked. I thought, no matter what happened in the film, it was going to take me to a whole new level. I told her I really wanted to be part of it.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: What made you come on as a producer?

CHARLIZE THERON: I knew that this was a hell of a role. It was so beautifully written; and that Patty and I really believed in it so strongly. That’s when I came in as a producer.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: Did you have any doubts that Patty could tackle this strong of a project?

CHARLIZE THERON: It was only after meeting Patty Jenkins that I immediately knew I wanted to do it. I knew that this was a hell of a role. I knew these parts don’t come along too often — especially for women. So I knew this was also something very unusual and might never come my way again. Those movies just don’t get made. So this grabbed my attention at first, then when I called my manager and said, ‘I really like this script,’ she said, ‘Well, you should probably watch this documentary, Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer, because it’s based on a real person.’ Then I stepped back. ‘Really? I never knew she existed.’ That was a little different. I realized this was somebody’s life and there was a lot of responsibility at hand.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: Were there any differences between you and Patty on the direction of the character?

Stumped-Magazine-Charlize-Theron-The-Italian-JobCHARLIZE THERON: We were so in sync. Patty really wanted me to feel the emotional level of Aileen’s character. So we’d go through everything on her — video footage, news stories, documentaries, audio — but the greatest thing that happened for me on the emotional level, to really understand her, was that Aileen sent letters to one of her friends — her only friend from Michigan. When Aileen was executed, she had all these letters — 12 years of letters — two rooms filled with letters. So Patty and I went to Michigan; and for two days in her house just reading every single day, absorbing this and seeing what happens when you’re on death row, you’ve got nothing to lose. You become honest and, uh, open. That was the point that I truly understood what she had gone through in life. It certainly wasn’t easy. It helped me tremendously.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: The make-up, by the way, was amazing. How did you find your make-up artist, Toni G?

CHARLIZE THERON: I remember talking to Rick Baker, who I worked with years ago on Mighty Joe Young, and asking him who we could use for our make-up. He mentioned Toni G and said we should look at her reel. We did and we really liked what we saw. She was working on something else at the time. And we knew it was a long shot to get her, but she actually, very gracefully, stepped out of that movie and came and did this with us.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: Were you conscious of how the make-up made you feel?

CHARLIZE THERON: The greatest thing Toni did was that my greatest fear was that I didn’t want it to be a caricature, wear a fat suit, put some prosthetics on my face. Patty said, ‘It’s got be real.’ That’s why I think we shot it in Orlando. That’s where it all happened. Totally real. And I’m highly critical of these things. When I watch the movie, I feel so satisfied that it’s not a make-up job and you don’t see make-up. You see the character. I thank Toni G for that.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: During the transformation of actually looking like Aileen — with the blotches and all — is there anything that stands out in your mind?

CHARLIZE THERON: Yeah. I remember two things: one, we were very lucky to have her; two, Toni coming over to my apartment and measuring my teeth to make the cast and getting me to wear those lenses. It was pretty freaky.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: You wanted this to be an authentic character in every way — the mannerisms, walk — the whole thing. Were you scared of attempting it?

CHARLIZE THERON: It was pretty intense. I remember Patty telling me to keep it real. Especially the intimate scenes. But then I was just centering in on the character and Christina would crack up when my false teeth would fall out.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: Most actresses try to find a bond with the character — you know, making them palpable to the audience. Did you ever worry about that?

CHARLIZE THERON: Patty would say to me, ‘Don’t make it sympathetic. We’ll catch your reactions while you’re doing it.’ We had two cameras going at once. And that helped me understand the emotions I was feeling in the scene. I felt very secure with her judgment.

EDWARD T. KRUPKA: You’ve worked on such big-budgeted pictures. How did it differ working on such a low-budget picture?

CHARLIZE THERON: Well, I can honestly say there was such a bonding on this movie that I never experienced… on a movie set ever. Everyone from the crew — the grips, gaffers — it was such a wonderful experience. And Patty, Patty’s like a sister to me. I’m getting ready to do the movie for the MTV animated character, Aeon Flux.