Charlize Theron is living life on her terms while fiercely paving an unobstructed, misogynist-free environment for women in Hollywood, and she is not sorry about it.
The movie mogul has acted in or produced a film nearly every year since 1996. She launched her own production company, Denver & Delilah, in 2003, and since, she’s racked up over 20 producer credits in addition to her robust acting career. Her focus now? Making the industry a more equitable environment for women, no matter how loud she needs to be.
During an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Theron said she’s driven by “a natural fight in me to want to create environments that feel like the things that I wish I had 30 years ago when I started.” While she said she doesn’t always get it right, she is “very aware of looking at the big picture and saying, ‘Is this really the best we can do?'”
She reflected on her earlier years, explaining, “The majority of my 20s and my 30s, and just the way I was raised, was very much… It was a time where you had to be a loud b**** to just find some space in the room. I don’t necessarily really like being that person, but there was definitely a time in my life where that was the only way I knew how to function.”
Her sentiment about not necessarily enjoying being “that person” is incredibly relatable, as many women, regardless of their professional industry, have to take on the same demeanor in an attempt to be heard and respected by men in the same room.
Theron also opened up about the ways she was taken advantage of as a young actress, saying, “Having absolutely no control over what you’re wearing is a big one that really f***ing annoyed me for years. Having some guy make you have a fitting almost in front of them — stuff like that, it’s really belittling.”
She continued to explain that was unfortunately and painfully normal just a few decades ago. “When I started, there was no conversation around it. It was like, ‘This is what you’re wearing.’ And I remember one movie in particular, this male director who just kept bringing me in, fitting after fitting after fitting after… And it was just so obvious that it was to do with my sexuality and how f***able they could make me in the movie. And when I started out, that was just kind of the norm.”
Theron asserted her learned dominance in standing up for herself and other women in the industry, saying, “I’ve done it for so long, I know what the f***’s going on.” The days of men having their way with women in Hollywood are dwindling quickly, thanks to women leaders in the industry like Theron.
Uma Thurman spoke on Theron’s behalf, having worked with her on The Old Guard 2. “She’s not just a great actress but a great leader,” Thurman said. “I think she’s gone further and taken far more control in that arena [of standing up to men on set even before the #MeToo movement] than I ever did,” Thurman said, continuing, “So all I can do is say ‘Hats off.'” We’re raising our hats to Theron as well, along with all the other strong, loud women who are making the change they wish to see.
Before you go, click here to see movies directed by women you should watch right now.
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