Charlize Theron, with The Old Guard 2 now streaming on Netflix, is opening up about the challenges of being a female lead in action films.
In a recent interview with The New York Times alongside co-star Uma Thurman, Theron addressed the persistent gender gap in Hollywood when it comes to greenlighting action movies.
“Yeah, it’s harder. That’s known,” she said when asked about the disparity. “Action films with female leads don’t get green lit as much as the ones with male leads.”
She reflected on the frustration it brings to her when male leads get a “free ride,” but “when women do this and the movie maybe doesn’t hit fully, they don’t necessarily get a chance again.”
Considering this, Theron says she knew they had a lot of expectations to fulfill.
“It’s not a risk that studios want to take, but they’ll take it many times on the same guy who might have a string of action movies that did not do so well,” she said.
Away from the screen, the Oscar winner also got candid about her dating life recently.
Appearing on the July 2 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Theron made it clear that dating within her industry isn’t on her radar.
“No, my god. No, no, no,” she said when asked if she’d ever consider dating “a man in the industry.”
She continued, “I don’t think that dating somebody in the industry is a smart thing.” While she didn’t completely rule it out, she added, “Not calling it impossible or not binary, [but] it’s just not a good thing for me.”
Theron, who is raising her daughters Jackson and August as a single mom, emphasized her independence and contentment with her current life.
“I love that I don’t have to run every f—ing thing by a guy,” she said, reflecting on the freedom she feels. “I can tell that no man’s moving into our house while my daughters are there.”
As for dating apps, she doesn’t hold back.
Calling them a “f—ing clown show,” Theron revealed her biggest turnoffs include “No Burning Man photos. No photos of you with other women… I don’t want you shooting a f—ing selfie in your closet of your hand in a jean pocket.”
