by Eva Dameron
Daily Lobo
Charlize Theron said when she was offered the role of "Aeon Flux," it presented a great mental and physical challenge, so she took it.
"Aeon Flux," originally an animated TV series created by Peter Chung, has been remade into a film.
Theron plays a secret agent who goes on missions, dealing out swift bloody justice.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
She said Aeon Flux is a quintessential character who stands up against the government and doesn't let obstacles slow her down.
"The whole film is really about questioning your government," she said. "Right now, the majority of America is doing that. I think it's a very relevant film."
"Aeon Flux" takes place in the future, she said, but deals with current governmental issues.
"If we don't pay attention to them, we will be dealing with the final product of what Aeon Flux deals with 400 years in the future," Theron said. "So maybe we can learn something."
Growing up in South Africa, she said, she never saw the series because she didn't get the channel that carried the cartoon.
"When the offer came through, I rented a couple of tapes, started watching it, and really liked it, thought it was really edgy and different," she said.
Theron said the film does justice to the original version, despite the drawbacks that come with re-creating a cartoon, and the cast wanted Chung to feel they were being authentic to his creation.
"If you know the anime really well, you understand that it's pretty much impossible to double that exactly on film," she said. "People who truly do love the show will not be disappointed, and for Peter Chung to come on the set and feel the same way is a huge validation for fans of the show."
Theron said "Aeon Flux" was the hardest film she's ever made. She did all of her own stunts.
"A huge part of the film, for me, was the physical aspect," she said. "I wanted to go and learn gymnastics, and I wanted to learn capoeira, and I wanted to learn how to actually do these things versus just making my body look like I could do them. If I was in a gym just lifting weights, I would have been miserable."
She said while practicing a back handspring on the set, she herniated a disc in her neck.
"It was early morning, there was some dew on one of the surfaces we were working on, and I was just rehearsing, and I slipped and landed on my neck," Theron said.
She said prior to the accident, she had injured herself many times in smaller ways.
"I was so prepared to go through that kind of pain," she said. "When that happened it was little bit more serious, and I had to go to the hospital for a couple of days. We had to shut down for six, seven weeks for me to heal."
Another difficult part of making the film, she said, was getting the hair and wardrobe to match the cartoon.
"The hair for this character, it's almost impossible to do that kind of hair and do the kind of stunt work that you have to do," Theron said. "The film was so based on that visual aspect that it was amazing to walk onto the set sometimes and see everything that was being done. This was an incredible world to get thrown into."
