She has played a mean spirited 30 something, a slinky sci-fi assassin and a cold-blooded killer. There can be no denying that Charlize Theron is one heck of an actress.
In a Hollywood awash with identikit manic pixie dream girls and aspiring bombshells, Theron refuses to conform to any set type. Beautiful she may be, but the lady isn’t afraid to play it ugly and embrace the darkness of a gritty role.
Last year's Young Adult received a warm reception from critics and audiences alike and earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Whilst the gong may have ultimately have gone to Michelle Williams, it looks as if 2012 is going to be vintage year for the South Africa born star. There are rumours of a possible Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the utterly unlikeable Mavis Gary.
This summer sees the release of two major movies starring Theron: Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and Rupert Sander’s fantasy retelling of Snow White and the Huntsman.
Although Prometheus began as a prequel to Alien, it has eventually evolved into an unconnected story with distinct characters. Theron plays Meredith Vickers, a sexy and strong corporate villain who is part of a space exploration team. Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Guy Pearce join her on this ill-fated mission to uncover the origins of mankind.
Sigourney Weaver herself has dismissed rumours of Theron’s character simply being a “blonde Ripley”. She warmly praised Theron when speaking at last year’s Marrakech International Film Festival:
“She is a wonderful actress, she’ll want to do her own thing with it and not be in the shadow of the other one.”
The trailer gives little away – the music is genuinely spine-tingling and the special effects look stunning. We’ll have to wait until summer to see if Scott manages to top the seminal Alien movies:
Snow White and the Huntsman is a big-budget twist on the well-known fairy tale. Princess Perma-Scowl herself, Kristen Stewart, is playing Snow White, whilst Charlize Theron will be donning the crown of evil Queen Ravenna.
The story is familiar: ego maniac queen talks to wall mounted furniture, she gets annoyed and attempts to kill her step-daughter, the step-daughter fleas to the forest, huntsman takes pity on girl, then she meets seven dwarves...
...this is where things get different. It seems unlikely that this Snow White will be doing any housework for Doopey, Doc and co. or having any jolly sing-alongs with squirrels. The Hunstman takes her under his wing and trains her in the art of war, ready to launch a rebellion against her wicked step-mother.
Theron looks on top form in the trailer, giving the Queen the required level of twisted menace and glacial beauty. The hot guy swinging an axe (Chris Hemsworth) also adds a certain je ne sais quoin. It will be interesting to compare Theron’s evil Queen with that of Julia Roberts, who will be playing the chief purveyor of poisoned apples in Mirror Mirror:
Image via Wikimedia Commons