Lady power: Charlize Theron is taking on a part written for Brad Pitt
Charlize Theron is not only an empowering, talented actress, but she’s behind the scenes taking a stance for equality. Earlier this year, she demanded a $10 million increase on her paycheck for The Huntsman. . . because for absolutely no reason, she was being paid $10 million LESS than her male co-star, Chris Hemsworth. “I have to give them credit because once I asked, they said yes. They did not fight it,” she told Elle after her subsequent pay raise in June. “And maybe that’s the message: That we just need to put our foot down.”
Now, after her rad action-star turn in Mad Max: Fury Road this past summer, she’s in talks with Sony Pictures to star in The Gray Man, the adaptation of Mark Greaney’s novel about a CIA operative-turned-assassin who is trying to save the lives of his daughters who have no idea he even exists. Cool, right? Well, what’s even cooler is that even though the script was written for a male hero, Charlize may be taking on the leading role. YAAAS.
According to Deadline, Charlize is “in the process of attaching herself” to the leading role, which Brad Pitt was once attached to. As Variety notes, the film pretty much sounded like Taken. Taken was awesome and all, but it’s already been done. But now, think of Taken with some gender-swapping action: Charlize’s character kicking ass all over Europe in the name of her daughters.
Charlize wouldn’t be the first actress to take on a part written for a male. Angelina Jolie’s part in Salt was originally intended for Tom Cruise, while Sandra Bullock’s role in This Brand Is Crisis (to be released this month) was written for a man as well.
“We’re complex, crazy little creatures,” Sandra said about her role in the film at the Toronto Film Festival last month. “We deserve to have stories that reflect that. And normalize that instead of it being a rarity. ‘Oh she’s intelligent? She wants to travel the world and do things for herself? Well, that’s weird.’ That’s the way it’s played out for so long.”
We could not agree more. TBH, we’re loving the gender-swapping that’s been going on in Hollywood. Not only is it refreshing, but so important in an industry that is currently laced with deep-seated gender inequality. By taking roles initially written for a man and having a woman play them, we can not only provide more lead parts to the talented women who deserve them, but highlight just how capable women are when it comes to bringing in box office success. Thanks, Charlize, for taking a stand and being a fabulous role model for girls and women everywhere, as always.
(Image via Paramount Pictures.)
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