Los Angeles, November 2, 2025 – Charlize Theron took a big risk back in 2003. She changed everything about herself to play Aileen Wuornos in the movie Monster. This role made her win an Oscar for Best Actress. It also changed how people see her as an actor. She went from looking like a movie star to someone who lived a hard life on the streets.
Theron did not know much about Wuornos at first. The script came from director Patty Jenkins. Theron said she read it and thought it was just a story. “I did not know Aileen was a real person,” she told reporters later. Wuornos was a woman who worked as a sex worker. She ended up killing seven men in Florida in the 1980s and 1990s. She said it was self-defense. The movie shows her tough life and how she wanted love but faced a lot of pain.
To become Wuornos, Theron worked hard on her body and feelings. She gained about 30 pounds. That was around 13 kilos. She wanted to feel what it was like to carry extra weight and scars from a rough life. “If I used my fit body, I would not understand her pain,” Theron said. She added fake teeth that looked bad and crooked, just like Wuornos’s real ones. They were made one by one from photos.
Her face changed too. Makeup artists used spray paint and special glue to make her skin look old and hurt. They put small pieces on her eyelids to make them puffier. Theron skipped a wig. Instead, her hair stylist messed up her real hair and made her eyebrows thin and light. The whole look took less than an hour each day. When she saw herself in the mirror, she felt it was real. “This is not a joke. It feels true,” she said.
Theron stayed in the role even off camera. She wore Wuornos’s clothes all the time. She talked and walked like her. The crew started to see her as the character, not the star. “I loved becoming someone else. It is not about me anymore,” she explained. She walked with a strong step, like Wuornos in court. Wuornos was short, but she looked tall and tough. Theron copied that “do not mess with me” way.
She also helped make the movie as a producer. That let her join in more choices. The budget was small, but the work paid off. Monster showed Wuornos not just as a bad person, but as someone who fought to live and be loved. “The film is about need, hunger, and trying to survive with love,” Theron said.
Fans and experts loved it. She won the Oscar in 2004. After that, people expected her to change a lot for every role. “Suddenly, everything became about transformation,” she laughed. But for Theron, acting means going deep inside. It is about becoming the person, not just looking like them.
Today, Monster still inspires actors. It shows how far you can go to tell a real story. Theron keeps taking big roles, but this one stays special. What do you think of her change? It sure made movie history.