The one movie Charlize Theron happily admits was a “bad, bad movie”
To make it in Hollywood is more than tough. It requires a level of steely resolve and unbridled self-confidence that most people are able to conjure within themselves. If you have made it to the upper echelons of Hollywood, you can confirm yourself as a true survivor. Charlize Theron has cemented her position in the industry through iconic performances in films such as Monster and North Country.
Having worked on a wide variety of genres, Theron has displayed remarkable versatility throughout her illustrious career and has picked up multiple prestigious accolades in the process. While she is certainly confident enough to walk on set and deliver a performance, she is also self-aware enough to know when something was a mistake.
Like any other actor, Theron favours certain roles in her filmography over others. Although one of her most beloved roles came in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, the production was a complicated experience for Theron because of Tom Hardy’s aggressive method acting and behaviour on set.
However, there’s one addition to her oeuvre that Theron finds very hard to revisit because it’s just that bad. Titled Reindeer Games, John Frankenheimer’s 2000 action thriller starred Theron alongside Ben Affleck. During a conversation with Esquire, the actor revealed how much she despised the movie. Sometimes pictures will land badly and then turn into something more beautiful, however, some just fall completely flat.
While talking about the project, Theron said: “That was a bad, bad, bad movie. But even though the movie might suck, I got to work with John Frankenheimer. I wasn’t lying to myself — that’s why I did it. I mean, he directed The Manchurian Candidate, which is like the movie of all movies. Fuck regret. Just fuck it.”
Reindeer Games was the final feature-length addition to Frankenheimer’s filmography before he passed away in 2002. Frankenheimer’s contribution to cinema is undoubtedly immense, especially his incredible run in the 1960s, which included masterpieces like The Manchurian Candidate and Seconds.
However, Reindeer Games was definitely not the best end to the revered auteur’s career. It tells the story of a prisoner who impersonates his dead cellmate in order to get it on with his girlfriend on the outside. If you’re wondering how he can pull this ludicrous trick off, it’s because they never actually met.
Although the film was a flop and panned by critics, Frankenheimer had no regrets. He said: (via Nitrate Online): I want you to go home after Reindeer Games and think things are going to be okay for this guy. A cynical person might say, ‘Oh, screw that.’ But I am not cynical. You have to have a certain passion about it, a certain innate faith in the goodness of human beings. I’m a person for whom the glass is half full. It wasn’t always that way. There’ve been ups and downs, but I’ve had a really long and wonderful career. I’m grateful.”
