Like Catherine Deneuve and NIcole Kidman before her, Theron is one of the most beautiful actresses but one who takes on roles that critique her own status as cinematic beauty. Theron's most famous performances are ones that strip her of her vanity and allow her to get down and dirty with her characters. For that reason, she is one of the most surprising working actors.
One of Theron's pre A-list roles was as wealthy heiress Laura Kensington in Woody Allen's 1940s-set hypnosis comedy. She only has a handful of scenes, all almost exclusively with Allen himself. But her scenes with Allen consist of some funny verbal sparring and sexy banter and they liven up this film, which came during Allen's early 2000s/pre-Match Point slump. Her lively and wildly funny performance offers a glimpse of Theron's inherent charm and sense of humor, qualities that have helped her maintain strong goodwill within the industry and with audiences. Hopefully, Allen will cast her in a leading role in the future.
Because the Academy Awards are so arbitrary and because it's no secret that campaigning and Hollywood politics have a lot to do with who wins, it's truly rare for an actor's winning performance to be also be their career-defining performance. Such honor goes to Charlize Theron's Oscar winning turn as real life serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Let's just put aside the physical transformation (which was magnificent). The reason why Monster is a true testament to Charlize Theron's talent is that she completely adopts Wuornos' mannerisms, vocal inflections and awkward, mannish gait. She completely assumes the persona of Wuornos, which we can all agree is worlds apart from Theron's own. What's even more brilliant is that this role completely catapulted her to superstardom. Most see the Oscar win as a peak in their careers; for Theron, it was just the beginning.
Theron scored herself another Oscar nomination for her work as Josey Aimes, the real life woman who won a landmark sexual harassment case against her coal mining employers. Her performance in this film is quite strong. She maintains a remarkably nuanced balance between fighter against the system and broken bird struggling to survive. That's a common theme of her career, really. She likes playing these characters who have to put on a front just to get through the day. Balanced by a cast of respected character actors, North Country is another star performance from Theron. While not as memorable or unpredictable as Monster, it's still an interesting drama for Theron fans.
Like so many Oscar winners before her, Charlize Theron's post Oscar career wasn't all apple pies and kittens. One of the few blemishes on her career is this adaptation of the 90s MTV animated show. She plays the title character, a solider of a revolution brewing beneath an idyllic but dangerous futuristic society. Visually, it's pretty striking but the script and story are both mind-numbingly dumb. Normally, I'd say that Theron does her best with the material but truthfully she looks comatose and withdrawn. She's just not having any fun with the character or action scenes. Her performance is so bad that I couldn't even believe it was her. Talented as she is in most roles, Theron's work in Aeon Flux demonstrates that she isn't infallible as an actor.
I mentioned earlier that Monster was Theron's career-defining performance. But her performance in Young Adult proves that she is still a surprising, unpredictable actor. As Mavis Gary, the divorced and delusional ex-prom queen, Theron offers a riveting, enthralling performance. Unlike Monster and North Country, however, she isn't stripped of her movie star glamor. In fact, her stunning looks are her greatest asset in the movie. Theron so masterfully conveys a not-so-tiny nervous breakdown beneath the fashionable clothes and stylish hair. Through Mavis's vanity, Theron bravely sheds her own and offers one of her ugliest but truly tragic characters. As you can probably tell, Young Adult is my favorite performance by Charlize Theron. She received many award nominations (though, sadly, not for the Academy Award) and this commanding performance truly deserved them.
Other remarkable films starring Charlize Theron:
1. Prometheus
2. The Italian Job
3. In the Valley of Elah
4. The Devil's Advocate
5. Snow White and the Hunstman (not all that remarkable but notable for Theron's work)
Hope you enjoyed the Charlize Theron installment of my 5 Films series. For part 8, I've chosen Mr. Southern Smiles himself, Matthew McConaughey. Stay tuned!
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