The one actor Charlize Theron always wanted to emulate: “As good as they come”
From flying to Los Angeles on a one-way ticket as a teenager to winning a ‘Best Actress’ Oscar, Charlize Theron has been on quite the journey.
Just as comfortable in a serious drama as an all-out action romp, the South African-born star has proven herself to be incredibly talented and versatile. She was in the 2003 remake of The Italian Job, but hey, nobody’s perfect.
Leading such an esteemed life has put Theron in contact with some of the great and the good. One of her earliest international hits, The Devil’s Advocate, put her on the same bill as Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino. Her involvement in the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise means she’s shared the screen with all kinds of famous faces, and she’s also been announced for the upcoming Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey.
For one of Theron’s all-time favourite co-stars, you have to look at the 2005 Niki Caro movie North Country. Alongside Jeremy Renner, Sean Bean, Sissy Spacek, and Woody Harrelson, the movie also featured three-time Academy Award winner Frances McDormand. As she told Black Film, Theron was thrilled to be in her company.
“Frances to me is as good as they come,” she said. “I’ve embarrassed her many times in the past by gushing but she’s the ultimate actress for me to follow. She’s got balls and she is if you want to say brave, she’s brave, I mean she really just – there’s no limit when it comes to her and then such an incredible human being on top of it. It was, you know, working with somebody like that, you just go to work and you realise that the bar has just raised and you have to stay, you’re playing with the big boys when you’re working with this cast. And everyday I realise that.”
McDormand is easily one of the finest actors of all time. From her many collaborations with husband Joel Coen and his brother Ethan to her outstanding performances in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Nomadland, and Almost Famous, the Illinois native has something about her that demands to be viewed. She excels in playing real people in dire situations, as demonstrated in North Country. Her character, Glory Dodge, is a mine worker living in Minnesota who reconnects with her old friend Josey Aimes (Theron). When she discovers that sexual harassment and abuse is rife within the company, the two women team up to try and take them down.
The story of North Country is based on Jenson v Eveleth Taconite Co, the first major sexual harassment lawsuit in United States history. McDormand’s character is based on the real figure of Pat Kosmach, one of the plaintiffs in the case. Kosmach died halfway through the trial of Lou Gehrig’s disease, an event portrayed in the film. Both McDormand and Theron were nominated for Oscars for their respective performances, and the film itself received decent reviews from critics.
Getting to work with someone of the calibre of McDormand is a dream for any actor. Theron was correct in her ‘gushing’ over the supremely talented performer, but clearly wasn’t happy to only work with her once. Also in 2005, Theron starred in the sci-fi action flick Æon Flux, which just so happened to feature an appearance from none other than Marge Gunderson.
