Charlize Theron is no stranger to playing high-profile, incredibly nuanced and difficult roles in her career. Obviously, we’re talking about her award-winning role as Cipher in the amazing “The Fate of the Furious.” All kidding aside, the actress has gained weight, worn prosthetics, and done just about everything imaginable over the course of her career to fully embody the character she was attempting to portray. And that is seen clearly in the first trailer for the upcoming “Bombshell,” which has Theron nearly unrecognizable as former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly in the story about the fall of Roger Ailes.
Recently, Theron spoke to CNN’s Alisyn Camerota (via Vulture) about the role. And what might be shocking to many film fans is just how difficult the actress found it to portray Megyn Kelly. Harder even than playing a serial killer.
“[Megyn Kelly is] incredibly well-known, and I’ve never played anybody that’s on that level,” admitted Theron. “I’ve played real people, but people that nobody knows about. There was less pressure when I did those. I was just really scared, too, because I honestly knew her so superficially. She’s conflicting.”
Perhaps the most famous role that Theron has ever had, especially given her Oscar win, is that of Aileen Wuornos in the critically-acclaimed “Monster.” Wuornos, of course, is the infamous serial killer that murdered men and seemingly showed no remorse. However, even with her history portraying that killer, Theron admitted that playing Kelly in “Bombshell” was more difficult.
“This was harder [than ‘Monster’],” said Theron. “You forget sometimes — all of us do this — we think we know people, we have our preconceived ideas of them. As an actor, you have to have that ability to put all of that aside and do research, and to actually find out about somebody.”
Theron also explained that she was concerned about starring in “Bombshell,” which she is quick to say is neither a biopic or a movie focused solely on Kelly. Instead, she was happy to be part of the film because of how it showcases just a year in the life of the folks at Fox News and paints a picture of what Kelly was going through during that time.
“Once I got past that, that year in her life was incredibly interesting, and felt to me like a story worth telling,” she said.
“Bombshell” arrives in theaters on December 20.