Charlize Theron is the ultimate super spy in Atomic Blonde.
Charlize Theron is the ultimate super spy in Atomic Blonde.
by Des Sampson
With Ghostbusters return, revamped with all-female leads, Wonder Woman causing more of a stir than Spiderman and Dr Who's shock reincarnation as a woman, there's been a seismic shift in the role of women in film and television recently, with more opportunities and greater equality than ever before.
Climbing aboard the bandwagon, with Atomic Blonde, is Charlize Theron who was determined that her character, Lorraine Broughton, would surmount one of the last bastions of male dominance - the clandestine world of spies.
Charlize Theron kicks ass in Atomic Blonde.
"A huge part of the development of this film was seeing what it would be like to take a woman and put her in a world that belonged to men for so long and then get her to play by the same rules that they play by," she enthuses, explaining her gun-toting, gung-ho secret agent role. "In general, women in society - and in film - don't usually get that opportunity, so I really wanted to explore that more.
"I wanted to create a character that's completely unapologetic about who she is and what she does, because she's an MI6 agent," asserts Theron, highlighting her heroine's life of espionage, subterfuge and skulduggery, in East Berlin, during the Cold War.
"I didn't want to have a complicated back story or have to justify why she's behaving the way she is though. Instead, I wanted her to just be doing her job and any emotion or empathy you feel for her to come from the consequences of the world she inhabits, like the bruises she has on her body from being beaten up. So, that was the experiment and I'm very proud to have pulled it off, because it's empowering for woman, I think."
It's also very exciting and entertaining - for both women and men alike - with her character's sassy, sexy glamour-puss exterior belying the steely, brutal inner core of a street-smart brawler, icy assassin, and wily spy. She's definitely more disarming than demure.
Charlize Theron and James McAvoy in Atomic Blonde.
Ironically, despite Theron's ruthless, kick-ass shenanigans in Atomic Blonde - and her insistence of doing most of the fight scenes and stunts herself - she concedes that when it comes to fighting she's more of a pussycat than a wildcat.
"I've only ever had one fight in my life, when I was young, and I can't even call it a fight to be honest. It was more a clumsy altercation I got into with a girl, at a bar, and before I knew it I threw a punch," she reveals, blushing with embarrassment. "Afterwards I was shaking and I remember thinking; 'Did I really just do that?' So, that was my only kind of young, stupid moment where I punched a girl."
In Atomic Blonde, Theron doesn't just punch a girl. Instead, she garrottes, bludgeons, maims, knives, shoots, tortures and terrorises an army of spies, soldiers, double-agents and police with wild abandon. It left her co-star, James McAvoy, reeling with admiration for her enthralling portrayal, tireless commitment and meticulously choreographed stunts and fight scenes.
"Charlize is phenomenal in this role," he enthuses. "I have massive respect for what she does in this movie because not only is she the star, but she's also the producer and the chief stuntwoman. She was so dedicated and didn't shy away from any of the stunts. Even after she broke her ribs and cracked her teeth doing some of them, she still jumped into fight scenes and went hard at it every day, all day.
"She very talented at the physical art of simulating fights, which is not an easy thing to do," adds McAvoy, earnestly. "I've worked with some top people, who are brilliant at it, like Hugh Jackman and she's definitely right up there with them."
James McAvoy in Atomic Blonde.
Not only did Theron's portrayal impress him, it also served as an inspiration for his own character, David Percival, a rough, tough, sleazy, hedonistic undercover agent stationed in Berlin.
"When I turned up on set, I realised Charlize had brought this glamorous, almost rock-star, icy cold stoicism to her character and I decided I'd be the antithesis of that. So, instead of being ice cold, I was going to be feverish, on fire. Also, instead of being glamorous I was going to be grubby and make it look like he's not changed his underwear in a week or two," he reveals, laughing. "I also looked at other spy movies and decided to make him the polar opposite of most spies you see.
"It helped that I'd shaved my head at the time - I had a buzz cut - and that I'd broken my hand on my previous film, so it was in a cast," he adds. "Luckily, they decided to incorporate both of those things into the film."
The result of Theron's aloof, glamorous portrayal and McAvoy's seedier dramatisation, set amid the backdrop of a crumbling Communist regime and soon-to-be toppled Berlin Wall, ensures Atomic Blonde is an explosive, rocket-fuelled thriller that's both stylish and sexy, with a great 80s soundtrack, slick production, swiftly-paced plot and killer stunts.
"It's a fantastical and extreme, artistic representation of what was happening at that time," acknowledges McAvoy. "In reality, I don't think it was as glamorous, as sexy or as exciting as we've portrayed it. But it was certainly fun to play - and I hope to watch..."
Atomic Blonde is the directorial debut for David Leitch, who was assistant director on John Wick. To prepare for her role, Charlize Theron trained with Keanu Reeves, who was preparing for his return in the John Wick sequel.
