debilitating
knee injury abruptly ended her dancing career. With little more than
her mother's encouragement and a
one-way plane ticket, Theron headed west for Tinseltown and ended up living in a
shabby L.A. motel not far from the legendary Hollywood sign.In a Cinderella story that rivals that of Lana Turner's discovery in a Hollywood Boulevard soda shop, Theron was discovered in a Hollywood Boulevard bank after she threw a tantrum when the teller refused to cash her out-of-town cheque. Recognizing her incredible presence, a man handed her his business card and told her if she was ever interested in acting, she should give him a call. It was only later that Theron learned it wasn't a sleazy pick-up line and that the man, John Crosby, was the real deal, a manager whose high-profile clients included Rene Russo and John Hurt.
Theron immediately signed with him for representation and within months shed her South African accent and landed the part of a deadly assassin who could kill with looks alone in the low-budget indie hit 2 Days in the Valley. The minor but very memorable role included a sizzling cat fight with co-star Teri Hatcher in a scene which caused tongues to wag and shifted the Hollywood "buzz" on Theron into overdrive. Theron soon found herself on the short list of nearly every casting director in town, landing roles in That Thing You Do!, The Devil's Advocate, Mighty Joe Young, Trial and Error, Celebrity and The Astronaut's Wife. Ironically, but for a stroke of luck, it could have gone in the opposite direction. Theron was just barely edged out for the lead role in Showgirls by Elizabeth Berkeley. Thanking God for small blessings with regard to what could have been a career ending part she says, "It was like I had some kind of guardian angel."
The statuesque beauty brings more than just eye candy to the set.
Directors have nothing but praise for Theron, who could get by on looks
alone but doesn't. Woody Allen cast her as an insatiable starlet in Celebrity
and calls her "a force of nature - bright, beautiful - with a
crushing sex appeal and can not only act, but can do comedy." Tom
Hanks, who handpicked Theron for his directorial debut That Thing You
Do!, says "Charlize is the most naturally confident actress I
have ever worked with." Theron was the first actress Hanks met with
and her role of Tina, a disenchanted teen who chooses a dentist over a
drummer, was the first one cast. Theron's critically praised performance
in last year's multi-Oscar nominated The Cider House Rules also
helped quiet the nay-sayers who saw her as little more than just a pretty
face.
Charlize's shooting star shows no signs of burning out anytime soon as she
has three high-profile movies coming out this fall. Men of Honor
teams her with Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding, Jr. in which she plays wife
to DeNiro's character, Billy Sunday, a Master Chief Navy Diver. In The Legend
of Bagger Vance, directed by Robert Redford and starring Matt Damon
and Will Smith, Theron plays the ex-girlfriend to Damon's character and
helps him discover his true talent with the help of a unique caddie played
by Smith. Theron also joins an ensemble cast including Mark Wahlberg,
James Caan, Joaquin Phoenix, Faye Dunaway and Ellen Burstyn in The
Yards, a drama about working-class life in New York City. She also
recently wrapped the white-trash comedy Wakin' Up In Reno with
Patrick Swayze and Billy Bob Thornton and has three more films on deck for
2001.Not one to follow Hollywood tradition, don't look for any romances between Theron and any of her leading men. She remains true to her boyfriend of three years, Third Eye Blind's lead singer Stephan Jenkins, with whom she shares her Hollywood Hills house along with her two spoiled cocker spaniels, Denver and Delilah, a cat, and numerous rotating friends and family members. Jenkins calls her "a paradox" with an "unswayable moral compass." Of Jenkins, Theron says, "He's this solid, head-strong guy. I'm lucky to be with him."
The past few years have not been without tragedy. Theron's stepbrother was killed in an automobile accident in 1997, her mother's second marriage ended in divorce and the ulcers which she suffered from as a child flared up again, a condition for which she now takes medication. She also abruptly ended her business alliance with John Crosby for reasons she refuses to discuss.
Theron may possess undeniable charm, but don't let her sweet persona fool you. Friends confess Theron can curse a blue streak that would make a teamster
again,
Theron isn't a type at all. With her small-town idealism, big city
attitude, movie-star glamor and knockout looks, like most unexplainable
phenomena, Theron can't really be defined. She just is.- Amy Ferguson
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