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Charlize Theron recalls ‘belittling’ experience with director who wanted her to dress more ‘f***able’

Oscar-winner says she had ‘absolutely no control’ over her wardrobe choice for years

Annabel Nugent
Friday 23 September 2022 09:48 BST
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Charlize Theron discusses how she was treated during The Italian Job filming

Charlize Theron has reflected on a “belittling” experience with a director who apparently wanted her to dress more “f***able”.

The Mad Max: Fury Road star opened up about “having absolutely no control” over her choice of clothes in a new interview.

“Having absolutely no control over what you’re wearing is a big one that really f***ing annoyed me for years,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.

“Having some guy make you have a fitting almost in front of them – stuff like that, it’s really belittling.”

Theron, 47, continued: “When I started, there was no conversation around it. It was like, ‘This is what you’re wearing.’”

The actor went on to address a specific experience she had with an unnamed male director.

“I remember one movie in particular, this male director who just kept bringing me in, fitting after fitting after fitting after… and it was just so obvious that it was to do with my sexuality and how f***able they could make me in the movie,” she said. “And when I started out, that was just kind of the norm.”

Theron rose to fame in the Nineties, starring in films such as 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate and The Cider House Rules in 1999.

Her 2003 portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster earned her an Oscar for Best Actress.

That same year, Theron launched her production company, Denver and Delilah Productions.

(Getty Images)

Speaking about her decision to do so, the actor said she wanted to “create environments that feel like the things that I wish I had 30 years ago when I started”.

She noted that while she doesn’t “always get it right” as a producer, her years of experience in the industry mean she knows “what the f***s going on”.

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Elsewhere in the interview, the Snow White and the Huntsman star explained why she turned down a relationship during the pandemic.

Earlier this year, Theron said that she “didn’t feel safe on Mad Max: Fury Road set amid her feud with Tom Hardy.

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