Wonder Woman of the Week: Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron is one of a countless number of Hollywood women reshaping the role of women in the film industry. The South African- born actress grew up on her family farm as a single child to two Afrikaner parents. As a child, Theron witness her mother kill her abusive father in self-defense and later left the farm for boarding school after having trouble fitting in at her local elementary school. In boarding school, young Theron began taking classes in theater and performing arts, setting the stage for her future career.

Charlize Theron flew to Los Angeles at nineteen years-old and began her campaign to break into Hollywood. As a young actress, Theron had to accept early roles as unnamed background characters and eye-candy roles as beautiful women in minor roles. Theron was by no means satisfied and took an early stand by refusing to accept any further roles that were anything less than complex characters. Between 1997-99, Theron starred in three Hollywood films that allowed her to break into the field as a powerful actress- The Devil's Advocate, Mighty Joe Young, and The Cider House Rules.

Charlize Theron's breakthrew role was with the 2003 film Monster in which Theron portrayed a prostitute turned serial killer. Over the next four years, Theron starred in relatively small films before acting in another Hollywood blockbuster that would maintain her household name with Hitchcock. After the latter film, Theron took a break from Hollywood over the next two years before returning to film in 2011 with the movie Young Adult. In 2012, Theron starred in two Hollywood films- Snow White and the Huntsmen and Prometheus- to spark her return to the field. The actress followed the two movies with several more films including Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde.