Don’t make any dumb blonde jokes about Charlize Theron. Not just because the tall, lanky and very buff South African actress could probably break you in half. Rather, because she’s an ever-inquisitive mover and shaker who’s constantly trying to learn everything she can about the ropes of her business.

For “Sleepwalking,� the new film in which she both acts and serves as a co-producer, those blonde locks have gone brown. She plays Joleen, a bad apple mom who one day hops in a truck and hits the road with yet another boyfriend, leaving her brother and her 11-year-old daughter behind.

It’s not the first time Theron has played an unpleasant character. Her first foray into film was as Helga, the ice-hearted girlfriend to James Spader’s ruthless hitman in “2 Days in the Valley.� More famously, she nabbed a best actress Oscar for her gritty portrayal of real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos in “Monster.�

During the early funding stages of “Sleepwalking,� it was obvious that the financial backers wanted her to act in the film.

“I understand that,� she says, “but I couldn’t play the part if I thought I was just doing it for that reason. I have to say that I really like the idea of playing somebody who was a flawed mother. She’s an uncomfortable character, yet to me, very real. There are women out there who are just not good mothers, and Jolene is one of them.

“I remember when I did ‘Monster,’ saying, ‘I believe women are conflicted, way more than men.’ Yet in film and society, we just don’t want to believe that. We want our women to be the Madonna/whore. You’re either the great nurturer, or you’re the prostitute. Well, that’s not who we are. We’re real people and we have flaws, just like men. But we’re still not comfortable with showing that in film.�

She believes that if audiences see her character as complicated and flawed, then that’s “way more rewarding� than a simplistic, “Oh, I loved her� response.

In “Monster,� Theron wanted her character to be vile. That experience provided her with a boost for her acting chops and, as her first producing effort, allowed her to develop some muscle.

“I realized that there’s a part of me that is very protective when I get attached to material or somebody’s vision,� she says. “[Director] Patty Jenkins and I agreed on a partnership and a vision and story, and we never veered — even to the bitter end when nobody wanted to buy the movie. Even then we didn’t buckle. Our financer said ‘Go back in the editing room and make her nicer; take the last murder out; it’s too harsh; people can’t deal with it.’ We looked at each other and said, ‘That is not the story we set out to make.’ And as a producer I had that power to put my foot down and say no.�

Yet Theron doesn’t like dealing with titles or labels, and it doesn’t really matter to her if she’s a producer or an actor. She’d rather be referred to as a filmmaker.

“Even if I’m not producing, I’ll be hanging out with the director of photography and finding out what he’s doing,� she explains. “If we lost a day of shooting, I’d want to know what insurance policy is picking that up, and how we’re making up that day. I just have a natural interest in the industry.�

That doesn’t mean she’s figured it all out — and that’s fine with her.

“It’s really tricky when you start talking about the process because, for me, there really isn’t just one process, and I want to believe that there’s a little bit of magic,� she says. “Or maybe a part of it is in your subconscious and you’re not really aware of it. There really isn’t one particular way that I work. It’s always been different. It’s like one of those things you don’t want to mess with because you think, maybe if I talk about it too much, the magic’s gonna go away.�

Source: wickedlocal.com