Charlize Theron calls out Hollywood for avoiding the ‘risk’ of female-led action films

Charlize Theron, the Oscar-winning actress, has spoken against the gender gap that still exists in Hollywood, especially in the action genre. Despite her achievements in the genre, she criticized the industry for being reluctant to approve action movies with female leads.In a recent interview with The New York Times, Theron and fellow actress Uma Thurman openly discussed the challenges women face in action films while promoting their upcoming Netflix sequel, The Old Guard 2. During the conversation, Theron candidly talked about the difficulties women encounter when fighting for lead roles in action-packed blockbusters.Theron stated bluntly, "Yeah, it's harder. That’s known.

Action films with female leads don’t get green-lit as much as the ones with male leads.” She underlined how, in spite of proof that female-led films can be both critically and commercially successful, the film industry continues to view male-driven action films as a safer investment.Additionally, Theron drew attention to the industry's double standards, which allow male actors to get away with box office failures more easily than female actors.

“I think the thing that always frustrates me is the fact that guys will get a free ride,” she said further adding, “If a guy does a movie that bombs, he’ll get another chance. But a woman has to constantly prove herself.”Theron has previously addressed the issue of gender inequality in Hollywood. She has been a vocal supporter of equal representation throughout her career and has starred in popular action movies like The Old Guard, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Atomic Blonde.

However, she did observe that systemic bias is still a major obstacle.Later this year, The Old Guard 2 will be available on Netflix. Theron hopes that the audience's continued support will encourage studios to take more risks with action movies starring women. “We’ve proved it works,” she stated. “Now it’s time for the industry to catch up.”