Charlize Theron is essentially Hollywood royalty at this point. The South African-born actress has been perfecting her craft since the mid-1990s. Millennials will likely recognize Theron in the film Mighty Joe Young, which aired frequently on the Disney Channel in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Charlize's career grew beyond that, playing parts in several films, often having anywhere between two and four movies released within one year, including the likes of Reindeer Games, which she apparently regrets working on, Sweet November, and The Italian Job.
Following the heels of her critically acclaimed portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in 2003's Monster, Theron accepted a role that might have possibly changed the trajectory of her career if she did not make some quick, calculated decisions. And the role could have ended her career in more than one way, including physical injury, poor rating, and a box office flop that many other actors would have had a hard time recovering from.
Charlize Theron Starred In Aeon Flux
In 2005, Charlize Theron was the lead in a live-action adaptation of MTV's animated show, Aeon Flux. Like the show, the film follows the titular character and her part among a group of rebels attempting to overthrow a corrupt government.
The original show was relatively popular and well-received among viewers, with re-runs airing often on MTV's late-night programming. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for the Aeon Flux film, which even Theron knew would be a box office flop while filming.
And Theron was right, as the film only grossed $53.3 million worldwide, just below their $62 million dollar budget. Rotten Tomatoes has the film rated at a 9% approval rating, abysmally low in comparison to some of her other works.
It would be some time before Charlize also admits that the main reason she agreed to do the film was to work with its director Karyn Kusama, also saying that she "was never completely sold on the entire concept" of the film.
Nonetheless, Charlize continued to fight through it and shoot the film, even with bronchitis at one point; but, bronchitis was the least of the actress's woes on set, having also faced some serious injuries while shooting the action film.
Charlize was apparently almost paralyzed on the set of the film, having gone through "a very unfortunate accident" that was "very severe."
The actress says she was just one centimeter away from being paralyzed because of how she landed on her neck, and a long recovery filled with pain management and even neck surgery to try and remedy what happened.
Theron Made A Surprising Career Choice Following Aeon Flux
Following the flop that was Aeon Flux, Theron knew that she had to do something different, not only to distract from the film that she was just in but to also help boost her career in a different way that she hadn't done or considered before.
Taking a break from filming movies, Theron opted to join the cast of Arrested Development during its third season as Michael Bluth's, as played by Jason Bateman, love interest. She admits that she made the career choice because she knew that Aeon Flux was going to flop.
Charlize was also a fan of the show, citing that as part of the reason she wanted in on the project as well, and also wanted to take on a lighter role since most of her previous work required her to play very serious and deep roles.
Theron played the character Rita Leeds during her brief time on the show (just five episodes), an English woman who suffers from an intellectual disability, something she attempts to keep secret when she first appears on-screen, and ultimately the reason why the main protagonist of the show Michael calls off the relationship with her.
Her Career Has Continued To Blossom
It appears that Charlize Theron's plan worked, as her career barely took a negative hit after Aeon Flux, going on to star in many films and even doing some voice acting in between.
Perhaps some of her most popular post-Aeon Flux roles include Mary in Hancock, Meredith Vickers in Prometheus, and Ravenna in Snow White and the Huntsman.
The South African beauty, who got her start in modeling, even became the face of the Dior J'adore campaign, starring in several of their perfume commercials over the years, with the most recent being in 2018. She is even part of the MCU thanks to her role as Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
And while she has certainly diversified her acting portfolio with roles like Morticia Addams in the animated 2019 version of The Addams Family, she still takes on the occasional drama or action role, like Atomic Blonde and Bombshell, in which she played reporter Megyn Kelly.
Whether it truly was Arrested Development that saved her career, or simply her longevity in Hollywood and her acting prowess, Theron has truly brought some amazing characters to life for her fans' enjoyment, and it doesn't appear that she will be stopping any time soon.
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