Charlize Theron shared that it wasn't easy to break into the male-dominated genre of action movies as a woman! As Entertainment Tonight shares, Theron appeared on a Comic-Con@Home panel called "Evolution of a Badass," where she talked about her career.
Theron talks about facing sexist treatment preparing for role
Theron said she faced sexism while preparing for her role in the 2003 film The Italian Job. "I realized there was still so much misconception around women in the genre," she told panel moderator Terri Schwartz. "The only good thing that came out of that experience was that there was a real pressure to pull off those stunts with the actors -- and that was the first time I experienced anything like that."
"But there was a very unfair process that went with that," Theron continued. "I was the only woman with a bunch of guys, and I remember vividly getting the schedule in our preproduction and they had scheduled me for six weeks more car training than any of the guys."
Theron reveals she "made it a point" to prove herself
Theron revealed she became motivated to show how capable she was after that experience. "It was just so insulting, but it was also the thing that put a real fire under my ass and I was like, 'All right, you guys want to play this game? Let's go,'" she said.
"I made it a point to out-drive all of those guys. I vividly remember Mark Wahlberg, halfway through one of our training sessions, pulling over and throwing up because he was so nauseous from doing 360s."
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Theron says Mad Max "changed the trajectory" for her
Theron's next foray into the action genre came with box-office flop Æon Flux. "It was really harsh," she said of the movie's failure. "It wasn't until Mad Max: Fury Road came my way, that experience and what happened with that film really changed the trajectory for me."
Playing the iconic role of "Imperator Furiosa" in Mad Max: Fury Road, Theron cemented her status as an action star in the 2015 movie. "I don't think I will ever recover from the making of that film," she admitted.
Theron speaks on female representation in action movies
Theron said that the film industry needs to do more to put women at the forefront of the genre. "There is a responsibility to hand that baton over, that it's not just about you," she explained.
"Listen, it's still disproportionate to our male counterparts out there, and we have to keep putting the pressure on our industry to change that," Theron continued. "I want my two young girls to grow up and not even think that this is weird or this is unusual or this is strange. I want this to be normalized."
Theron mentioned in an interview last month that she wants her adopted daughters to "see themselves" and "feel they belong." The star's latest role also sees her owning the action genre, as she plays immortal soldier "Andy" in the new Netflix movie The Old Guard!
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