Charlize Theron talks about the misconceptions of being a woman

SINGAPORE—Charlize Theron is as tough as she looks, but she says she’s more than that. “It’s a misconception that women are either strong or weak,” she explained. “There was never a part of me that looked at any of the female characters I played in my entire career where I compartmentalize them like that.”

This the 40-year-old Oscar-winning actress said when we asked her to talk about Queen Ravenna, the character she portrays with evil relish in Cedric Nicolas Troyan’s “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” during the film’s promo blitz in Singapore last April 4.

She told the Inquirer: “I find it interesting every time people ask me about whether my character is strong or vulnerable. ‘Do you like wearing jeans? Or do you prefer gowns?’ Well, I’m all those things!

“That misconception is more pronounced in the movies, where women have been portrayed  for so long to be just one thing or another. We can be just as conflicted as men—we can be dark, vulnerable and strong in a female way. When a man is ambitious and assertive, we say, ‘That’s a strong man.’ But when a woman does that, we call her a b*tch.

“I’ll tell you this: In the 20 years that I’ve been doing [media junkets], I’ve never heard anybody ask a male actor the same question. It says something about how we view men and women—and I think that’s slowly changing. We’re seeing more flawed women doing contradictory things.

Very satisfying

“I remember being very young and watching Jack Nicholson in ‘The Shining’ and Robert De Niro in ‘Taxi Driver,’ I said, ‘Why are girls not doing this kind of roles?’ So, when I’m allowed to explore the characters that I choose to do, it’s very satisfying for me as an actor.”

“The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” which commences its run in the Philippines on April 13, is the sequel to Rupert Sanders’ “Snow White and the Huntsman,” which starred Theron, Chris Hemsworth (as the Huntsman) and Kristen Stewart (Snow White), who doesn’t appear in the sequel.

“Winter’s War” takes viewers back to the time when  Ravenna’s sister, Freya (Emily Blunt), discovers her powers as the Ice Queen after she severs her ties with her manipulative, mirror-clutching sibling for betraying her.

Thereafter, Freya builds an army of huntsmen that includes Eric (Hemsworth) and Sara (Jessica Chastain), who are forbidden to love each other.

Excerpts from our Q&A with Charlize:

What was going through your mind when you were approached to play a negative character?

I don’t think of her as a negative or evil character. As actors and filmmakers, it’s our job to unravel the humanity of complex characters.

She wasn’t evil to start with. In fact, she’s grounded like a real human being. We tried to set up circumstances for her, where people could understand where she was coming from.

Currency of power

In the first movie, Ravenna was sent away by her mother at a very young age and was married to a king. She replaced an older woman, but she was raised by a mother who told her, “This is the world you live in—and the only way you can survive it is by cashing in on the currency of power,” which is her beauty. When you think of it in those terms, it’s sad.

Is it a conscious effort for you to choose “unexpected” or unpredictable characters? Do you seek out the roles yourself?

I do that selfishly for myself (laughs). Making a movie for three months or longer is very time-consuming, so it’s fulfilling to find the challenge within the role [you’re assigned to do].

Film lover

But I’m also a film lover. When I read a script, there’s a part of me that imagines it as a viewer—and how the story plays out.

I sometimes forget that I should be reading it as an actor. Is it going to move me? I think a lot about what gets me excited about the character. But I definitely don’t want to feel like I’m just regurgitating myself or the works that I’ve done.

I get bored easily, so I’m always looking for something that will challenge me…or people who will raise the bar for me.

Do your children get scared when they see you in costume?

We joke about it, because the kids are on the set quite a bit, and they’re all around the same age.

We thought that when we come out of the trailer, they’d gasp. But none of them even looked at us because, as children, they’re in a perpetual state of fantasy.

There was a moment when I looked at Emily (Blunt) and said, “I’m a little concerned because your daughter has no reaction to it whatsoever—I feel like you’re dressed like this at home.”

Make-believe

But as parents, you explain to your children what you do—that mommy gets to play make-believe, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary for them. My son doesn’t get upset that we’re doing this crazy stuff. One time, he watched a scene between me and Emily, and I was a little snippy with her. He just looked at the monitor and said, ‘Momma’s spicy!’ (Laughs)”

What super power would you like to have?

People have been asking me that question. For Emily, it’s flying—so I said, yeah, it’s also flying for me. But, is that really as cool as we think? Because that could also be horrifying.

I also don’t want to know about what people think—and I really don’t need to be moving sh*t around!

Do you enjoy movies like “Batman v Superman?”

I am Batman (laughs)!