Charlize Theron Interview
IFQ catches up with Charlize Theron at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles, California as she promotes her latest film In the Valley of Elah. South African beauty Theron discusses her recent U.S. citizenship, In the Valley of Elah, the Africa Outreach Project and why she isn’t a fan of dialogue in films.
IFQ: You were born in South Africa, but didn’t you just become a U.S. Citizen?
Charlize Theron: Yes, I actually just became a citizen this year, so I have lived here in LA for
13 years. Altogether, I’ve been in America for 16 years. I’ve always considered this my home, a different kind of home. I put my feet down on African soil and something happens to my blood. But I live here as well and I consider this my home. Maybe coming from a country like South Africa that has gone through so much turmoil, which is the way I grew up, I am interested in what a newspaper has to say, but I also believe in independent press. I am always looking at it from both sides. I think when you go into a war, it’s pretty impossible to go through your life and not run into people and talk about it. I don’t know how people could do that. It’s part of what we are going through right now. Of course, there is a debate going on in this country and I’m interested in what other people have to say. It doesn’t necessarily come from a South African point of view. It just comes from a human point of view. Yeah, it wasn’t the basis of this film [In the Valley of Elah] and I loved that. I would have been scared of this movie if it was. I loved that we always went back to these human beings and the circumstances that they were in. Just in general, people were talking about it a lot. It was happening. We had real soldiers around us and I wanted to know what their experience was like. I wasn’t there so I was very interested to hear their point of view.
IFQ: Weren’t you the first actor on board to do In the Valley of Elah?
CT: Yeah, I got to know Paul (Haggis) when I was nominated for North Country and we were doing the award circle. He was doing it for Crash and the two of us were the only losers in an alley smoking cigarettes. He told me about this project and he was still writing it. We kind of kept running into
each other and he kept talking about it, and it sounded fascinating. He emailed me a script when he was in Italy. I read it and the next day I said, “Count me in.” It’s usually a combination for me–trying to find good solid material that I am interested in and it’s just as important for me to get a director who I really want to work with. I really wanted to work with Paul.
IFQ: Was it the story or was it the character?
CT: No, it was the story. It is always the story. You can have the best character in the world and a crap story; it doesn’t matter. I would rather be in a good movie whether I’m in it for two minutes or two hours.
IFQ: Given the political situation, what was the biggest message that came across to you when you read the script?
CT: This was a human story. It was about people. It was the truth. Politically, I didn’t feel like this carried any kind of agenda. I didn’t feel like there was any Liberal, Democratic or Republican message behind it. I didn’t feel like it was pro-war or against war. I felt like this was just the truth about the realities of war. We are sending these young kids over there, to go and do something that very few of us will
go and do, and I have a great respect for that. They are coming back here and we can’t expect them to fit back into society and be normal functioning citizens. It’s just not going to happen and we have to give them the right tools, and we are not. That was something obviously that touch me. I’ve met people who have gone over there and fought. To hear them come back and not be looked after, I think that is very ungrateful. We can’t do that. But this story, it was the truth and it really happened. That, to me, was heartbreaking. My character was never part of the real story, but as a story on a human level, it really connected with me. I thought it was heart breaking so I really wanted to tell it.
IFQ: There is an element of your character Emily and her story. She is not
accepted for various reasons like so many women in the work place. How difficult was dealing with the male characters for you? Was that an element?
CT: It wasn’t. It was something that I never talked to Paul about. It was there. I think it is very truthful from all the research that I had done on North Country. What I liked about it was that he brought it in, what I think is very truthful, and I always said this when I did North Country. A lot of this stuff happens on a very humorous level which is why it is considered innocent. I think in a way, it was like a little bit of a layer that this movie needed and it was a very serious film. These incidents are not big, not all of them,
and most of them are considered to be a joke. These guys don’t really think they are doing anything terribly wrong. We never wanted to hit that over the head, but I think he cast really great actors and we had a great time playing off of that. Never making it too serious, I think Emily knew and she was smart. She had thick skin. She could deal with it, but it was just exhausting.
IFQ: What was it like working with Tommy Lee Jones?
CT: I loved working with him. I think he is incredibly talented. I was very intimidated. I actually owe Frances McDormand a lot because I had talked to her when I decided to do this. Paul was going to have Tommy do it. I said, “How is it working with him?” and she said, “Just give him a big hug every time you see him. It just drops his guard.” The first time I saw him, I gave him a big hug. From that moment on, he just really kind of took me under his wing and we had a great respect for each other. We worked really hard and well together. It is great to be in a ton of scenes with somebody who really keeps you on your toes.
IFQ: How was it acting with not only the actors but the soldiers who were in it?
CT: It was a combination of a few things. At first, I looked at Paul and I said, “Are you sure about this?” We were on a tight schedule and [we had] very big and important scenes with these guys. He said, “Trust me.” And I did. They showed up and I was blown away. I couldn’t tell the difference between the actors and the real soldiers. I actually became really good friends with one of them. I think, in a way, it was so incredibly helpful to have that around all the time–just to stay on the road of truth. On a human level, I was fascinated and intrigued by what they have experienced–where they are and how they felt. It was great having them around. I think that all of this is still so fresh for them. That was really what this work was about. It was just the truth of their lives.
IFQ: There are many scenes in this film that are without dialogue and it’s the character’s behavior that speaks volumes. Is that something, as an actor, that you have to learn to value rather than pages of dialogue?
CT: I’ve always had a great value for it, and I think it’s from being a ballerina for 12 years and never having words. I’m not a fan of words and directors hate me sometimes. I have a very clear understanding of how powerful the physical can be. I played a swan and I never had any feathers or said anything, but I was a swan. So the physical, to me, is incredible. You can have an entire monologue and sometimes as an actor we get lost in these showy moments of yes, we want that monologue. I really have no desire for a monologue. When Paul started writing my part, I was like, “Can you cut down on the lines? Please?” It was really intense writing. In a way, that’s why I really liked this character because I had never done anything really like that. It was really interesting to be the actor in the scene that wasn’t emotionally-driven. There are levels of it, but nothing close to what Tommy has to go through. In many ways, I am there to pass along a lot of information. That was a huge challenge for me. Like the day after she finds the young girl in the bathtub, she’s sitting at her desk. Paul had a secretary come over and she’s giving me the bank statements. He said, “So, she’s going to come up and she’s going to say, I’m sorry. You say, don’t worry.” I said, “No, no, no, no. I can’t say anything. I’m guilt-ridden. There is no way I could say that; I can’t look anybody in the eye. I fucked up.” That was a great example of just really understanding that there were no words needed there. Those are usually my favorite moments. I always say I’m a really good actor when I’m not speaking and you are shooting me from behind.
IFQ: Can you talk about Hancock–the big budget Will Smith movie you’re doing?
CT: It’s been a great experience. I would make a film about tape recorders if Will Smith was in it.
I love working with him. I just think he’s an incredible actor and I loved the experience of being around him. I love Jason Bateman. I thought it was a really well-written piece that wasn’t just fluff. There was a real intelligence to it, yet it was fun, but it was smart. It was complicated. It had a lot of conflict.
IFQ: Did you have any reservations about doing another comic book movie?
CT: No, it’s all different. It’s like saying I’m not going to do another genre-based [film]. I don’t believe in that. It’s two completely different stories. It’s completely different.
IFQ: What do you find more challenging?
CT: They are all different and challenging in different ways. I find Hancock a challenge, because it’s not something that I’m familiar with and it’s not a comfort zone for me. You throw me in a drama and I know I can swim. I like the idea of doing this and looking at Will and going I don’t know, Men In Black 4 — you tell me. I don’t do these! [Laughs.] I like that challenge. What I love about this piece is that it really crosses over so many different genres. It’s really interesting to kind of shoot out of continuity and to figure out where you are hitting what. It’s not just silly comedy; there is a lot of heavy stuff in this.
IFQ: Can you give an update on the Africa Outreach Project? Do you see yourself making a film in South Africa soon?
CT: I think I am the only actor who hasn’t shot a film in South Africa and I’m a damned South African. It’s just ridiculous so I would love to shoot something in South Africa. That would just be amazing. I am always struggling to find the time to go home. That would be amazing to do it for a job. Yes, I am going back towards the end of the year. It will be after Hancock when I go and do the Africa Outreach program. We’ve been building the mobile clinics for the last six months and they are almost finished.
IFQ: Will you be traveling around the country?
CT: Yeah, we’ll be traveling in some very rural communities with them, bringing anti-viral drugs to communities and education. I am very excited about it.