Charlize Theron has explained why she will “never” gain weight for a film ever again.
In the past, the actor switched up her eating habits to put on weight for two roles: Monster (2003), in which she played serial killer Aileen Wuornos, and the 2008 comedy film Tully, in which she played a mother of three experiencing postpartum depression.
The Hollywood star, who is 48, has said she will “never do it again”.
In a new interview, Theron said: “I will never, ever do a movie again and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll gain 40 pounds.’ I will never do it again because you can’t take it off.”
The actor told Allure: “When I was 27, I did Monster. I lost 30 pounds, like, overnight. I missed three meals and I was back to my normal weight.
“Then I did it at 43 for Tully, and I remember a year into trying to lose the weight, I called my doctor and I said, ‘I think I’m dying because I cannot lose this weight.’ And he was like, ‘You’re over 40. Calm down. Your metabolism is not what it was.’ Nobody wants to hear that.”
In recent years, Theron has taken on a series of action roles in films including Atomic Blonde (2017) and The Old Guard (2020), as well as joining the Fast & Furious franchise.
The actor said that one consequence that “really bums me out” about these performances is that “if I hurt myself, I take way longer to heal than I did in my twenties”.
She continued`: “More than my face, I wish I had my 25-year-old body that I can just throw against the wall and not even hurt tomorrow.
“Now, if I don’t work out for three days and I go back to the gym, I can’t walk. I can’t sit down on the toilet. It’s all those very real moments.”
Theron, who won an Oscar for her role in Monster, most recently appeared in 2023’s Fast X, and has completed work on an Old Guard sequel, which will be released on Netflix later this year.
Charlize Theron in ‘Tully’— (Sierra/Affinity)
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