Apart from starring in blockbuster movies and earning global popularity, Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron is often known for going out of her way to get rid of the overwhelming feeling imposed by her onscreen character. Reflecting upon her 2005 drama, North Country, the actress thus quipped how she acted out against the film crew, because of her shooting stress.
Often known for completely immersing herself in her character, Charlize Theron mentioned doing the same for her role in North Country. However, only this time, Theron ended up feeling harassed by her Oscar-nominated role. Thereafter, the actress admitted taking revenge on her fellow crew members, to make up for her character’s treatment in the movie.
Charlize Theron’s North Country Was All Too Real For Her
Charlize Theron, who is often known for bringing out the best personification of her character through her phenomenal acting skills, apparently faced some trouble during her 2005 drama North Country. Playing the role of a miner Josey Aimes, in Niki Caro’s movie, the actress faced overwhelming situations after learning about the real-life incidents that inspired the movie.
Based on brutal reality, the movie focused on the horrific s*xual harassment cases of female miners, at the hands of their male co-workers, for working the same profession as them. And since the movie was based on reality, Charlize Theron went on to meet the actual miners who were the victims and perpetrators during the incident, in order to prepare for her role.
“It’s almost disturbing they would tell these horrible stories in this very humorous way and I had to really think about it and then I realized I think it was a way for them to protect themselves”
Realizing how it was all too real and pathetic at the same time, Charlize Theron mentioned how the incidents impacted her on a personal level. “If they could laugh about it, it didn’t affect them as much and I thought that was incredibly powerful” the actress shared. She further discussed how she felt one with her character; “when we started working on this material, that’s what happened to us”.
Charlize Theron Exacted Revenge On Behalf Of Her Character
Feeling overwhelmed by the real-life incidents that inspired the movie, and which resulted in the historic s*xual harassment lawsuit, Charlize Theron admitted feeling personally harassed during the shoots. Discussing how scenes of s*xual harassment often feel personal, Theron mentioned, that this time it was different and felt more humiliating to her.
However, while filming North Country which earned her an Oscar nod, Theron mentioned reliving some of her shooting stress by acting out against the film crew. After taking her character’s harassment personally and feeling violated in a way herself, the actress admitted to playing a prank on the crew to uplift her mood.
“There was a part of me that became like those women where I had to laugh about it in order for it not to affect me as much and so, yeah, our as*es were grabbed during the day when the camera rolled and when it didn’t, I grabbed as*es back.”
Discussing how her playful revenge “made me feel a lot better and the boys were accommodating,” Theron discussed the success of her 2005 drama. Based on real-life incidents, North Country was hailed by critics for its authenticity and brilliant representation. However, despite turning eyes and extracting massive respect from audiences, the movie failed to perform at the box office. It simply made $25M against its $35M budget.
Watch North Country on Amazon Video.
Source: Black Film
