Charlize Theron is fighting back against the assumption that action has to be a gendered genre. The Oscar winner, who has led action films such as “Atomic Blonde” and recently “The Old Guard 2,” told The New York Times that it’s “harder” to get female-led films made within the genre.
“Yeah, it’s harder. That’s known,” Theron said as to why there are fewer women-driven action movies. “Action films with female leads don’t get greenlit as much as the ones with male leads. I think the thing that always frustrates me is the fact that guys will get a free ride.”
Theron continued that it doesn’t matter whether male actors in the action space are bankable stars; if a male-led movie flops, the actor’s reputation will barely take a hit. “When women do this and the movie maybe doesn’t hit fully, they don’t necessarily get a chance again,” Theron said. “With this [‘The Old Guard 2’], we were very aware that eyes were on us. It’s not a risk that studios want to take, but they’ll take it many times on the same guy who might have a string of action movies that did not do so well.”
“The Old Guard 2” is directed by Victoria Mahoney; Gina Prince-Bythewood helmed the first installment, which was released in 2020. Mahoney teased a possible third franchise film while speaking to IndieWire, but implied that she would be “watching from the sidelines” as an audience member rather than a director.
Theron isn’t the only actress/producer lamenting how women are treated differently by studios. Riley Keough told Vanity Fair that there is more “pressure” for female filmmakers who historically get less of a shot to produce, star, and direct than their male counterparts. “As a woman, there is this pressure feeling of, ‘I can’t mess up,’” Keough said. “‘I can’t make a shit movie.’ But I think that, for me, I can’t live like that. I think that’s a great talent actually, to be able to be okay with failing, messing up, and not being perfect.”
Keough added that it’s “such a weird time” in Hollywood right now and that she is “incredibly grateful to be working” at all. “Every single day that I’m on set I feel really lucky,” the “Alpha Gang” star said.