Few actresses have one like that impressive career like Charlize Theron laid down. She shone as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road. She won the Oscar for Monster. And with Atomic Blonde she created her own John Wick. She is now even a permanent member of the Fast & Furious family.
But how did Theron actually become famous? Our Spanish sister site SensaCine has dealt with the Career of the actress examined and unearthed a particularly exciting story. Theron wasn’t discovered at a casting, but rather during an argument with a bank employee.
Charlize Theron’s acting career began with a check she couldn’t cash
Theron is originally from South Africa and moved to Milan with her mother at the age of 16 to become a Modeling career to start. The next move followed a year later: she was supposed to go to New York Ballet dancer to be trained, but a knee injury put a stop to this plan.
She ended up in Los Angeles in 1994 with nothing but a check from her modeling job to make ends meet. However, when she wanted to cash the check in question, a problem arose. Since the check is in one other statenamely New York, the bank in Los Angeles did not want to accept it.
She told the story to Oprah in 2005 as follows:
I wanted to cash my last check from a modeling job in New York, but because it was a check from another state, I wanted it the bank does not accept
– and I urgently needed the money back then. So I started begging the bank teller to help me. Hollywood executive John Crosby came to Charlize Theron’s aid and opened the door to Hollywood for her
Theron had no success with the bank employee. Luckily another man overheard the conversation and rushed to her aid.
I begged and pleaded and a gentleman came over to help. […] What I didn’t know at the time was that I had just auditioned for a guy who would later become my manager. As I was leaving, the man who had helped me gave me his card. He said, ‘If you’re interested, I’ll represent you.’
This man was Hollywood executive John Crosby, who at the time represented stars such as John Hurt and Rene Russo, among others. He gave Theron her first role: Children of the Wrath 3, which was released in 1995. Although Theron didn’t have lyrics, she was able to showcase her vocal talent in 2 Days LA the following year.
Thereon’s career took off thanks to roles in films such as The Devil’s Mission, The Astronaut’s Wife and God’s Work and the Devil’s Contribution.
The Oscar for Monster followed in 2004. Even a sci-fi flop like Æon Flux could don’t get thrown off trackas shown by later blockbuster offerings à la Prometheus and Snow White and the Huntsman.
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