The issue on gender inequality and sexism in Hollywood has been much talked-about topic these few years. We’ve heard from celebrities time and time again on what it means to be a female working in a largely male-dominated industry. Whether or not Asia’s or rather, Singapore’s entertainment business mirrors the likes of those in Hollywood, it doesn’t mean that open discussions like these should stop.
In an interview with Charlize Theron, who was in town to promote her latest film ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’, with director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan and cast members Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain, she tells a group of journalists on her views on women in Hollywood, and elegantly shuts down a reporter when he asked for her take on ‘making a conscious effort to play strong women’ roles.
“I think it’s a bit of misconception that women are either strong or weak, or vulnerable,” she said.
“And there’s never a part of me as a woman that looked at any of the women that I’ve played in my entire career where I can compartmentalise them like that. When people ask: ‘Are you a strong person or are you vulnerable? Do you like to wear jeans or do you like to wear a gown?’ I’m all of those things!”
Theron, a versatile and established actress has run the gamut of playing characters ranging from a serial killer in ‘Monster’ (2003), where she received the Academy Award for Best Actress; an alcoholic 37-year-old ghost writer in ‘Young Adult’ (2011); to most recently, a rebel soldier in George Miller's ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. She reprises her role as the evil Queen Ravenna in ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’, prequel to the 2012 ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’.
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She continued: “I think it has been a huge misconception especially in film where women have been portrayed for so long to just be one thing or two things. We can be just as dark, we can be just as vulnerable… and just so strong in a different way - in a female way has been left behind.”
“And I think, slowly, something is changing in the climate where we are seeing more flawed women and we are seeing women being very conflicting beings.”
Director Nicolas-Troyan who was the visual effects artist on the prequel, “agrees wholeheartedly” with Theron’s views. “Women are all of the above. And what makes it very interesting to me as a director is that I find working with actresses who portray all of the above (characteristics), all those parts and those moments in their characters, is very fulfilling.”
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‘Mama Spicy’
Theron shared that her kids are occasionally on set together with her co-stars’ children, but made sure they are not there when she filmed ‘crazy, weird stuff’. Despite her extravagant and eerie costumes, her older son, Jackson was unfazed by his mother’s transformation as the evil witch.
“They have no reaction,” she quipped. “We all thought that when we come out of the trailer, our kids will be like ‘Huhhh!' (long gasp sound), but none of them really looked at us.”
“You will explain to your children what you do, and at this age, what you are really saying to them is ‘Mummy gets to play make-believe’ and to them, this is what they do every single day so hopefully they can very easily relate to it,” she added.
“He definitely watched the scene between Emily and I, where I was a little snippy with her. He just looked at the monitor and said ‘mama spicy’. That was as far as he went with that.”
Also starring Emily Blunt, Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain, 'The Huntsman: Winter's War' opens InCinemas 14 April 2016!