“I don’t think any of us expected the transformation that Charlize and Patty and [makeup artist] Toni G. ultimately gave us,” says Producer Clark Peterson. “The individual effects are all very subtle but the result is an extreme transformation that I think will surprise a lot of people.”
Relating the first time he had seen Theron in character as Wuornos, Peterson continues: “The first day of camera tests, a woman walked past everyone who we thought was the stand-in for Charlize. And I remember thinking, ‘Huh, she really looks like Aileen.’ And it was only after a while that I realized it was Charlize. The contact lenses, the hair, somehow she assumed this character so thoroughly that it just consumed her body language and speech and bearing. It was truly remarkable to witness.”
Explains Theron of the journey which led her to Monster. “I was working on The Italian Job and my rule is usually not to read scripts while I’m working, but my agent said I should really look at this. And when I met Patty she was so energized and excited about it. . . you just miss that in this business sometimes.”
In order to play Wuornos, Theron—who began her career as a model in her native South Africa before coming to the U.S.as a ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet—gained between twenty-five and thirty pounds. Perhaps equally instrumental in her remarkable physical transformation were the efforts of makeup artist extraordinaire Toni G., recommended for Monster by legendary, Academy Award-winning makeup and special effects wizard Rick Baker, with whom she’d worked on such films as Ron Howard’s Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes.
I was very impressed by the chemistry and the passion that Patty and Charlize had for the project,” says Toni G. of the team’s first meeting. “It really seemed a love-child project for them, and that extra something doesn’t always happen.” After committing to the project, Toni G.’s first order of business was studying photos of her lead actress and comparing them with the woman she meant to portray. “When I began looking at photos of Aileen and Charlize, I thought the one person I really needed is the best sculptor I can find, because a bad dental piece will throw people out of the movie immediately.”
Toni G. called upon the talents of Art Sakamoto, a sculptor with whom she’d worked at Baker’s studio. Two sets of teeth were constructed for Theron, one pair used for long shots and one for close-ups. “The teeth were the most constricting structure we designed because Charlize had to learn to speak with them, just as someone would have to adjust their speech if they were wearing a retainer or dentures; there’s different space for your tongue to articulate properly,” explains Toni G. “But Charlize was able to use that for the performance. In the end, I think they aided in her speech pattern, and even during rehearsal, she’d want her teeth.” Says Theron, who also worked with famed dialect coach Brooks Baldwin in preparation for the role. “I could leave the contact lenses and teeth in and makeup on for sixteen hours and never found it distracting.”
Movie Database
In Theaters
