Charlize Theron, 48, isn’t letting the Hollywood double standards affect how she feels about getting older on screen. The actress shared her insights on aging and plastic surgery in a new interview with Allure. Now heading into her fifth decade, the actress reflects on her experiences as a long-time face of Dior and public perceptions of her famous face.
Theron’s two-decade association with Dior’s fragrances has made her a symbol of the brand. While grateful for the role, she also acknowledged how being in the public eye has given her a unique perspective on aging. “I’ve always had issues with the fact that men kind of age like fine wines and women like cut flowers,” she says. “I despise that concept and I want to fight against it, but I also think women want to age in a way that feels right to them. I think we need to be a little bit more empathetic to how we all go through our journey. My journey of having to see my face on a billboard is quite funny now.”
On Plastic Surgery Rumors…
Regarding plastic surgery rumors, Theron humorously dismisses them, stating, “My face is changing, and I love that my face is changing and aging,” she says. But “people think I had a facelift. They’re like, ‘What did she do to her face?’ I’m like, ‘Bitch, I’m just aging! It doesn’t mean I got bad plastic surgery. This is just what happens.’”
On Her Famous Transformations…
As for her amazing transformative skills, she doesn’t foresee taking on any more transformative roles in her fifties. “I will never, ever do a movie again and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll gain 40 pounds.’ I will never do it again because you can’t take it off,” she said. “When I was 27, I did Monster. I lost 30 pounds, like, overnight. I missed three meals and I was back to my normal weight. Then I did it at 43 for Tully, and I remember a year into trying to lose the weight, I called my doctor and I said, ‘I think I’m dying because I cannot lose this weight.’ And he was like, ‘You’re over 40. Calm down. Your metabolism is not what it was.’ Nobody wants to hear that.”
She notes her stylist as a major motivating factor. “I call her and say, ‘I’m doing this movie about postpartum depression and I’ve gained like 40 pounds.’ And she’s like, ‘How am I gonna dress you?’”
On Her Influential Children
Theron says her mental shift on the perception of beauty and aging is largely due to the influence of her daughters. “My daughters have no concept of what age is like,” she says. “They see somebody they like, what they’re wearing, or they think they’re pretty, and they don’t really know if she’s in her 20s or she’s in her 60s. It’s so great. I love that. I wish we could just maintain that.”
