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Charlize Theron looking at the camera© Getty Images

Charlize Theron's wildest on-screen transformations after declaring she'll never gain weight for a role again – photos

The Atomic Blonde actress has both gained weight for roles like Tully and lost weight for roles like Monster

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
August 23, 2023
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Charlize Theron has had fans reminiscing over some of her most intense roles from her career, after she confessed that she would never gain (or lose) weight like she has done in the past for some of them.

Speaking with Allure Magazine, she explained that at 48, she finds her metabolism can't handle sudden weight fluctuations like it used to, telling the outlet: "I will never, ever do a movie again and say, 'Yeah, I'll gain 40 pounds,'" adding: "I will never do it again because you can't take it off."

Below, revisit some of the actress' most unrecognizable transformations, including for Monster (2003) and Tully (2018), which she references in the new interview.

WATCH: Charlize Theron says it's harder for her to lose weight as she gets older

Monster

In Monster, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins' directorial debut, Charlize starred as real life serial killer and prostitute Aileen Wuornos.

"When I was 27, I did Monster. I lost 30 pounds, like, overnight. I missed three meals and I was back to my normal weight," she told Allure.

Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos in 2003's Monster© Alamy
Monster was arguably Charlize's most intense transformation

Tully

15 years later Charlize starred as Marlo Moreau, a suburban mom about to give birth to her third child who forms a close bond with her nighttime nanny Tully.

Charlize Theron as Marlo Moreau in 2018's Tully© Alamy
The actress naturally gained weight, as opposed to using a bodysuit, for Tully

Her weight gain for the role was far different than her weight loss for Monster – she was then 43 – and she said: "I remember a year into trying to lose the weight, I called my doctor and I said, 'I think I'm dying because I cannot lose this weight.' And he was like, 'You're over 40. Calm down. Your metabolism is not what it was.' Nobody wants to hear that."

Charlize also noted that it's not just the weight gains or losses taking a different toll on her body now, but also the injuries she might incur from strenuous action roles.

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

MORE: Inside the insane physical transformations undergone by Hollywood stars: From Cillian Murphy to Charlize Theron

She explained: "The thing that really bums me out is that I make action movies now and if I hurt myself, I take way longer to heal than I did in my 20s. More than my face, I wish I had my 25-year-old body that I can just throw against the wall and not even hurt tomorrow. 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."

Keep scrolling for more of Charlize's transformations for movie roles.

Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa in 2015's Mad Max: Fury Road© Alamy
Charlize fully shaved her head for Mad Max: Fury Road

For Mad Max: Fury Road, which premiered in 2015, she fully shaved her head and was unrecognizable covered in carbon and dirt for her role as Imperator Furiosa in the apocalyptic action movie.

Charlize Theron as Lady Lesso in 2022's The School for Good and Evil© Alamy
Most recently, she switched her usual blonde hair in favor of red

MORE: Charlize Theron, Milla Jovovich and more help celebrity hairstylist with near-fatal tumor

Most recently, Charlize abandoned her usual sleek, platinum blonde bob (which she occasionally also dyes brunette) for a totally different look: an ultra curly, teased out bob dyed to a deep red brick color, in 2022's The School for Good and Evil.

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