Germaphobe Director Didn’t Want Charlize Theron for His $80M Movie Because of Her Deadly Illness
Charlize Theron isn’t your typical female lead. The list of her IMDb credits might make a Marvel or DC superhero’s exploits look a bit tame.
From portraying a street prostitute turned serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster to playing Imperator Furiosa, a war captain leading a revolt in Mad Max: Fury Road, Theron has never shied away from getting into the action and getting her hands dirty.
Speaking of dirt, one germaphobe director wasn’t sure about working with the Oscar-winning actress following her Mad Max stint.
Why Seth MacFarlane Didn’t Want Charlize Theron in His Movie
Seth McFarlane, who’s mostly known for his array of voices in Family Guy, has also tried his hands at directing mainstream Hollywood movies several times.
In 2014, he directed A Million Ways to Die in the West, which featured high-profile names like Charlize Theron and Liam Neeson. The Western comedy presents Anna (Theron) as a mysterious woman, who teaches Albert (McFarlane) how to shoot (as we said, she isn’t your typical female lead) ahead of the face-off with her gunslinger husband (Neeson).
However, McFarlane, who’s described as a germaphobe by Theron, was hesitant to work with her. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Atomic Blonde actress recalled her interaction with the director:
“Oh yeah. I mean, MacFarlane didn’t want me for that. I had just come from [making Mad Max in] Namibia with a buzz cut and, as he always says, “You had bronchitis” — he’s like a real germophobe — “you had no hair and you’d never been funny.” And I’m like, “I get it. I asked you to take a leap.” And look, we’re still hanging out. But I feel like I’m very specific, unless you either know me or you’ve worked with me before.”
Nevertheless, they collaborated, and recalling his experience, McFarlane revealed Theron was so funny, in a jacka*s way, and would pick moments to punch on his bruise. The movie, however, didn’t perform very well, making just $86.4 million globally at the box office.
Read more: 5 Things You Should Know About Family Guy
Will Charlize Theron Make a Full-Time Appearance in the MCU?
As mentioned earlier, Theron’s roles are no less powerful and dramatic than Marvel superheroes. Interestingly, a post-credit scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness showed her as Clea, hinting at a potential full-time important role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward.
When quizzed about her character and future prospects in the franchise, the 48-year-old said: “There’s a mythology around it and it’s been thought out over decades with Clea, and I’m challenged by that. Like, how do you reinvent that? So, I’m excited, but I honestly don’t know what the f*ck it’s going to be.”
Theron also admitted she was ignorant about Marvel movies and used to call its fans “nerds”. But after investing some time watching some movies, her opinion of it changed drastically.
Read more: Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron Became the Reason Why Two Stunt Doubles Got Married
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
