Patrick Lewis/Starpix/ShutterstockCharlize Theron says she's "built a career" on playing people that audiences "don't like."
The actress, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003's Monster, is opening up about her career in Variety's latest Actors on Actors interview with Adam Driver. Next month, Theron returns to the big screen in her portrayal of Megyn Kelly in Bombshell, which centers on the allegations involving Roger Ailes at Fox News.
"Megyn Kelly...she can be incredibly polarizing. There are things about her that live in the extreme. People either love her or they hate her," Theron tells Driver. "And she makes no excuses for that...There's a part of her that is so amplified — she comes across really abrasive sometimes, and somewhat aggressive and cold. All of these things that are not necessarily qualities that make you want to hug a person."
Theron adds, "But I would be lying if I didn't say that I can relate to being a woman on a different degree, experiencing those same thoughts about me."
"I have heard people describe me as cold, or hard, or a bitch. You know what I mean? I can always find that thing that might not be so attractive and bring it back to just human circumstance," Theron continues. "That's a human that I know. The perfect stuff is hard for me to relate to."
Theron and Driver also discuss their acting process and how it can be hard to always stay in character.
"If I stay in it for too long, I become incredibly exhausted — emotionally exhausted," Theron explains. "That process is very hard for me.... I'm not walking around being Megyn Kelly, or Aileen Wuornos, or any of the characters that I've played before. I can switch that off. And I can do it in between too. I don't speak in the voice the whole time. I know I'm emotionally much braver when I don't overthink it and I come from a place that's a little bit more raw."
To read more about Theron and Driver's interview, head on over to Variety.