Charlize Theron: "I wish I had started shooting action movies when I was 20"

When she entered the world of the Fast and Furious film series in 2017, Oscar winner Charlize Theron was greeted with enthusiasm. In Fast and Furious 8, she made her debut as Cipher, a cyberterrorist who is as deadly as she is beautiful.

As it happens in the world of Fast and Furious, she soon became part of the family. Not really a favorite, more like an evil relative, but Cipher is back in action in the ninth sequel, and she has a special place in the latest movie Fast X.

It is the beginning of the end, as the marketing slogan says, of the exciting world created around Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel. And Charlize is happy to be an important part of it.

Were you looking forward to returning to the Fast and Furious world?

I'm always touched when they invite me back. Then I go through the process of figuring out what they're going to do with my character and what kind of trouble we're going to get into this time. There's something really beautiful about being a part of a franchise like this that has accomplished so much, with all the characters that have wandered through its world. And to do so as we reach the end feels very special. Also, I'm having a lot of fun playing Cipher!

She is an antagonist who does not switch sides. Do you think Cipher as a character can change?

Yeah, as Charlize I might want to go to Dom's barbecue, but I don't want Cipher to do that. At the same time, I feel it's very important for me to figure out how she can continue to surprise audiences. I believe that people don't really change, they just maybe take a different path - which is what makes these characters so much fun to play. I'm very happy that I had the support of the producers and everyone else when I said that Cipher wouldn't feel the best at Dom's barbecue. They just said, "It's fine, we can live with it."

Jason Momoa shined as Dante. Did you meet on the set or do you know each other from before? How was the experience of filming with him?

Our first scene together in the movie was also the first thing we shot, so we didn't really meet until we showed up on set. And he was absolutely wonderful! Everyone's nervous on the first day, and I always think I'm going to get fired or make a mistake, but Jason was so confident. I mean, he walked into the room with that open shirt with the lace detail that was fluttering, and he had these crazy lines that he just glided through. I was impressed because normally I'm more like an old car that starts a little cold, until you press the gas pedal and shake off the nerves. Jason is not that kind of actor. He comes all fired up!

Cipher has a number of action scenes, how did you prepare for them?

I love preparing action scenes, and here I was lucky enough to train for about 7 weeks before shooting with a great stunt team that helped me get through everything.

You have a great shot in the movie where you completely turn around, how did you prepare for that?

It was one of those moves that I knew I could do it. So I trained a lot. Later, when I got to the set, I showed some video of how I was doing it and in the end they gave me the green light. Then I thought: "I better not mess up!" It was exhausting and it was a big pressure to get it right.

Did you enjoy working with a stunt team?

I absolutely love working with stunt people. And I think it's an actor's job to guide them as much as it's their job to guide you. It's a dance, so you have to be able to communicate what you can do. Sometimes it's almost safer to just do it once and be done with it than to try 15 times.

Cipher has a spectacular fight sequence with Letty. How was it for you to record such a scene with theactress Michelle Rodriguez? How do you recover from shooting a scene like that?

When I read the scene in the script, I knew it was a part of the movie that every viewer would want to see. It's so epic! And Letty is mean. What Michelle Rodriguez does – like the way she transforms into an action heroine – is very believable. She acts with her body, eyes and heart. It was very exciting for me to shoot that scene with her.

There is no recovery trick, although I wish there was. I mean, it is what it is. It is important to prepare well. So you have to be good to your body for a while before you do these things, and then you have to keep being good. It's just a lot of work on the body, and it gets harder the older you get. Sometimes I think I wish I had started making movies like this in my 20s. Now I watch the fight scenes and I think, “Oh, this is going to be a tough few weeks…” But you expect that to be part of the journey, and then you're walking around with bruises – which is also a bit of a badge of honor. I love it and feel so lucky to be able to do it. Read the full article at KINO FILM.HR

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