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Charlize Theron attends a photocall for "Mad Max: Fury Road" during the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival

Charlize Theron reveals the one thing she'll never do again for a role

The Mad Max and Fast X actress also discussed plastic surgery

Hannah Watkin
Content Writer
August 18, 2023
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Charlize Theron has opened up about the one thing she won't do again in her future film career. Speaking with Allure magazine about her upcoming Dior ad campaign, the Fast X actress, 48, admitted that due to her aging metabolism, she would no longer want to gain weight as she has done for roles in her past — most famously for Monster, the role that won her a Best Actress Oscar in 2004.

"I will never, ever do a movie again and say, 'Yeah, I'll gain 40 pounds.'," the South African star told the magazine in an interview published August 18. "You can't take it off," she went on to explain.

Charlize Theron looks incredible at the premiere© Getty Images
Charlize looked incredible at the Fast X premiere earlier this year

"When I was 27, I did Monster. I lost 30 pounds, like, overnight… Then I did it at 43 for Tully," she said, before elaborating it took her over a year to lose that weight. 

WATCH: Charlize Theron talks gaining weight for Tully

The Atomic Blonde actress who is also the face of Dior's 'J'Adore' perfume revealed that she'd called her doctor in this later instance. "And he was like, 'You're over 40. Calm down. Your metabolism is not what it was.' Nobody wants to hear that," she continued.

During her interview, The Old Guard star also addressed the matter of ageing and double standards of beauty in the industry. "I've always had issues with the fact that men kind of age like fine wines and women like cut flowers," she said, adding passionately: "I despise that concept and I want to fight against it, but I also think women want to age in a way that feels right to them."

Charlize Theron in a black beret and dress sat in a car, smiling© Charlize Theron on Instagram
The Old Guard actress had a lot to say about beauty standards in the industry, as well as her own decisions about taking film roles

"My face is changing, and I love that my face is changing and aging," the actress continued.  "People think I had a facelift. They're like, 'What did she do to her face?' I'm like, '[expletive], I'm just aging! It doesn’t mean I got bad plastic surgery. This is just what happens.'"

MORE: Charlize Theron and her two daughters' personal life in rare photos as she turns 48

While she herself has never gone under the knife, she also made it clear: "I think we need to be a little bit more empathetic to how we all go through our journey."

Charlize Theron arrives at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2012© Getty Images
Charlize Theron arriving at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2012

Charlize also revealed she was envious of how her daughters – August, seven, and Jackson, 11 – still don't appear to have taken in societal stigmas surrounding aging. "They see somebody, they like what they're wearing, or they think they're pretty and they don't really know if she's in her 20s or she's in her 60s. It's so great. I love that. I wish we could just maintain that," she said.

Charlize recently enjoyed a delightful night out with her daughters at one of Taylor Swift's concerts in LA. "Thank you for the best birthday ever @taylorswift!!! We had such a great [expletive] time," she captioned her photo and videos of the group's trip to the event.

Charlize Theron with her daughters August and Jackson© Instagram
Charlize Theron with her daughters August and Jackson

Returning to the topic of how getting older is affecting her acting choices, the often action-film lead did admit "I wish I had my 25-year-old body," due to how she appreciated how much more flexible and quick to heal her younger self was. "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," she joked.

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