In 2003, Charlize Theron shocked the world — not with red carpet glamor, but with a haunting, almost unrecognizable performance in a film based on the real-life story of a woman sentenced to death for a string of brutal crimes.
Monster (2003) tells the harrowing true story of Aileen Wuornos, a former sex worker convicted of murdering seven men and sentenced to death in Florida. The film marked the directorial debut of Patty Jenkins, who later gained fame for Wonder Woman.
To become Aileen Wuornos, Theron sacrificed more than just comfort — she sacrificed the very image of herself the public had come to adore. She gained over 30 pounds for the role, saying later, "You’re not just eating anymore — it becomes your job." But weight gain was only the beginning.
Theron thinned her hair, bleached out her eyebrows entirely, wore brown contact lenses, and even used prosthetic teeth stained to match Wuornos’s worn, yellowed smile. The result was a transformation so complete, audiences and critics alike forgot they were watching a former fashion model.
But Theron didn’t stop at the physical. To fully inhabit Wuornos’s world, she read her prison diaries — raw, desperate reflections written while awaiting execution — and studied court records to understand the woman behind the crimes. It was method acting in its most fearless form.
The risk paid off. Critics were unanimous in their praise, with film critic Roger Ebert calling it "one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema." In 2004, Charlize Theron won the Academy Award for Best Actress — a career-defining moment that proved she was far more than a Hollywood beauty. It cemented her place among the most fearless and committed actors of her generation.
