Actress Charlize Theron criticized the film industry for being reluctant to support female-led action films, in a new interview with The New York Times.
Theron and fellow actress Uma Thurman spoke to the outlet about the challenges women face in the genre as they promote their new Netflix superhero sequel, “The Old Guard 2.”
Theron said that securing the lead roles in action films is more challenging for women because Hollywood viewed these films as more of a risk.
“Yeah, it’s harder,” Theron said. “That’s known. Action films with female leads don’t get green-lit 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.”
The Oscar-winning actress suggested there was a double standard in Hollywood.
Theron claimed that when male actors star in films that flop at the box office, they are often given a pass, while women are rarely given the same leeway.
“When women do this and the movie maybe doesn’t hit fully, they don’t necessarily get a chance again,” she said. “With this, 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.”
Both she and Thurman have starred in successful female-led action films. Thurman famously played an assassin in “Kill Bill,” while Theron has taken on iconic roles in films like “Mad Max: Fury Road” and the “Fast & Furious” franchise.
