Charlize Theron says her co-star didn't recognize her as Megyn Kelly
The actress described the nuance and research it took to take on her role.
Charlize Theron is making waves for her powerhouse performance in "Bombshell," and the actress said she relied on a depth of research to authentically bring her character to life.
Theron, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe and two SAG Awards for her role as former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, told "GMA" that the early buzz has been "so exciting."
"The fact that our movie has been getting this kind of really nice buzz has been such a reward," she said. "I feel like it's like giant juicy cherries on an already delicious cake. That's the only way I can describe it."
The movie tells the story of how a group of women took on Roger Ailes, the former chairman and CEO of Fox News, and the former atmosphere at the network.
"I think we're living in such an interesting moment right now where we're actually having a real conversation about sexual harassment in the workplace," Theron said. "I wish this never happened to them but I think the story is and will be a part of a historical moment that changes thing for women."
Her transformation into Kelly was incredible and Rolling Stone said "you don't see Theron at all" in the film.
Theron said her co-star Nicole Kidman, who plays Grethchen Carlson, didn't recognize her on set "for a second" the first time they all came together.
"We were always scattered in this real newsroom, and so I think for a second she just couldn't put it together that it could be me," Theron said. "It was chaotic the way we shot it," adding that director Jay Roach embraced capturing a majority of the movie in 360 degree angles.
"The prosthetic work, the makeup and the hair in this film is really top notch," Theron said.
She said the "the devil's in the details" when it came to bringing to life the parts of Kelly to make the role authentic.
"It's a combination of trying to understand as best as I could where she came from, why she sounds the way, why she holds herself the way she holds herself and its just research," Theron explained. "You just have to kind of sit down and read as much as you can, watch as much as you can, listen to as much as you can and pray to the movie gods that when you show up on that first day that you're not trying to manufacture something, that it's under your skin already."
The real life former Fox News personality broke her silence about the movie over the weekend, saying, "Watching this picture was an incredibly emotional experience for me, and for those with whom I saw it. Sexual harassment is pervasive in this country; it can leave scars that do not heal."
Kelly also said that she "only got her first look at the film once it was past the point of any possible edits, though there are certainly some I would have made."
In order to make sense of the "overwhelming" and at times nuanced Megyn Kelly story, Theron said she tried to think of it as a "compartmentalized moment."
"The more we just really focused on that year and a half, it became easier to tap into that story and what was happening there," the actress said.
She continued, "I didn't fully understand the consequences that a lot of these women were facing. But I think everybody had a really complicated set of circumstances to deal with in order to get to that place."
Roger Ailes, who died in 2017, was forced to resign in 2016 after Carlson accused him of sexual harassment in a lawsuit. Other women at Fox News, including Kelly, said Ailes sexually harassed them during his tenure at the cable news channel.
"Bombshell" also stars John Lithgow as Roger Ailes, Connie Britton as Beth Ailes, Allison Janney and Kate McKinnon.