I’ve added 6 videos of Charlize in the Media section. They are:
Unscripted full interview of Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman from Moviefone
The stars and cars of The Italian Job
3 bonus interview of Will Smith, Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman from Movefone
2007 Breil commercial
Enjoy!

Charlize Theron is an actress who traverses between the mainstream (The Italian Job, Aeon Flux) and the independent (The Yards, Monster) with ease, and now she wears another hat: in Sleepwalking, she both co-stars and produces.

It’s not the first time she’s worked as a producer – that would be Monster, the little movie that could for which she won the Best Actress Oscar.

“That’s the job I signed up for,” she says when asked about her nonstop busy schedule during filming. “When people are going to give you millions and millions of dollars to go make a film, you’re responsible for them. So I spent six weeks up there before anybody came up, doing the location scouting and meeting with the film community out there and figuring out our incentives and how we were going to work our budget out. And if we didn’t make a day or were behind schedule, I was the one who had to answer those questions.”

She insists, however, that the experience was more than worthwhile. “You know, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy it. There’s a creative thread about it, there’s something incredibly creative about creating that world that you’re very passionate about. I like the problem solving of it, I like the business side of it, I think independent filmmaking and financing is really fascinating right now. I’m a circus clown, you know? I like taking the circus on the road.”

She says what drew her to the project was simple. “You either tap into something or you don’t. I read it and thought it was a great script. It wasn’t necessarily the most incredibly original idea – I think that we’ve seen the dysfunctional family before – but in the manner it was told, it felt like real people. I think the writer was really brave in not trying to water anything down, and at the same time not trying to make anything soap-opera-y or melodramatic. I liked that there was a sense of hope, and I like that it had a nice kick in the ass. Wake up, be responsible for your life.”

The film chronicles a road trip between a troubled young girl, Tara (AnnaSophia Robb) and her uncle James (Nick Stahl) after her mother (Theron) temporarily abandons her. “The challenge in that is to create a very pure relationship,” Theron says. “What [screenwriter Zac Stanford] did, I liked that it never went in a sexual relationship, either with my character’s father [played by Dennis Hopper] or with James. Even if that’s not the intent of the writer, sometimes, unintentionally, that can somehow come across on film: when you put a twelve-year-old girl in a car with a young guy. That was a real concern of ours.”

The lower-class, blue collar world of the story is something that Theron has done before, in both Monster and North Country.

Still, “that’s three movies out of close to thirty films,” she gently reminds us. “It’s hard when people make those correlations, because we just want to make good stories. I’m not going to turn down a film just because the social conditions of the film are similar to the last movie I did or a movie I did four years ago.”

Beyond that, though, there is undoubtedly something about lower-class struggles that appeals to Theron’s instincts. “We all know that life is hard. If you get to travel a little bit through America, you’ll see a lot of people living in very different circumstances than a lot of us, and a lot of that influences the decisions they make. I think that’s where humanity comes from: understanding circumstance. Not just judging it or labeling it, but having some kind of empathy for understanding what certain events or surroundings in your life might cause you to end up being. And a lot of people out there deal with not necessarily a great hand of cards.”

Next up for Theron is this summer’s satirical Hancock, starring Will Smith as a drunk and homeless superhero. After that, it’s the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s bestselling novel The Road, about less fortunate people of a different sort: a father (Viggo Mortensen) and his son as two of the last people alive in a post-apocalyptic America.

“It’s actually very hopeful,” Theron says about the seemingly bleak story, in which she’ll appear in flashbacks as Mortensen’s wife. “I think it’s probably the most hopeful thing I’ve ever read on us, as the human species. The circumstances of the story are real and dark and sad, but not necessarily grim and hopeless. I don’t want to make movies like that, because I just don’t believe that. If you don’t have hope, you’re not alive. And if you’re alive you have hope, and that’s really what The Road is about. And that’s what this is about: that there’s hope no matter what.”

Source: Dan @ TheCinemaSource.com

“You know what? I like this business. I like filmmaking.”

In an industry where it’s fashionable to complain about how difficult the business can be, such a statement, if it’s uttered at all, would likely be presumed to be ironic.

But Charlize Theron is completely serious.

“I’ve never been one of those actors to hang out in my trailer and disappear. I’m fascinated by how the whole machine really works,” she said. “It’s a joy. I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t. It’s too much work.”

Theron’s latest film, the indie project Sleepwalking, was a bit more work than usual for Theron, since she also served as a producer for the movie.

The 32-year-old native of South Africa has risen quickly in Hollywood since first being noticed alongside Al Pacino in 1997′s The Devil’s Advocate. Her stunning looks may have had something to do with that, but Theron put the industry on notice that she had more to offer in Monster, the 2003 movie in which she horrifically portrayed serial killer Aileen Wuornos, garnering an Oscar for her efforts.

“I think it’s always dangerous to look at how much power you think you have because it’s probably always less than what you think,” she said.

Theron is hardly the first actress to bemoan the quality of film roles for women in Hollywood, but it was a desire to do more than just complain that led her to get involved with a production company.

“I know this is probably hard to believe because our industry is known for being so cold-hearted, but there’s something incredibly pure about it for me,” she said. “There’s something incredibly pure about walking into somebody’s office and saying, ‘I really believe in this, and if you feel the same way give me your money, let’s partner up, let’s make a movie.’ ”

It was just such a moment of purity that gave rise to Sleepwalking, a grim drama in which Theron plays a troubled mother who abandons her daughter (played by 14-year-old AnnaSophia Robb) to her younger brother (Nick Stahl).

Seated next to Robb, the older actress detailed the rehearsal process they shared on the film’s set in Saskatchewan.

“AnnaSophia and I just happened to have good chemistry right from the beginning. Don’t look at me like that,” said Theron, turning to her co-star.

“We just spent a lot of time talking about experiences and people and behavior. That’s rehearsal for me,” she said. “It’s really good to just have that constant discussion all the time, to get a bunch of people in a room and just talk about it, maybe not know all the answers but throw out every question you possibly can, versus looking at scenes and trying to manipulate them in a room like this.”

Theron, Robb and the rest of the cast and crew had to make sure those rooms were well-heated, as temperatures dropped to 57 degrees below zero in Saskatchewan while they were there.

Robb, looking strikingly like a younger Theron, said it was the coldest she’s ever been.

“Yes, it was. I liked it though,” she said.

“Freak,” said Theron.

“The cold really helped me get into character, and I think it showed up beautifully on screen,” Robb said. “You can really feel the coldness I felt, that we all felt. And I felt that it also bonded the cast and the crew.”

Theron: “We huddled.”

Robb: “We snuggled. Being in such harsh conditions makes you kind of grow together.”

Although Sleepwalking was shot in Canada, it is set in the Western U.S.

Although Theron is routinely associated with South Africa, she’s been telling American stories throughout her film career, whether it’s this movie or last year’s Iraq War-themed In the Valley of Elah.

But Theron takes issue with the idea of “quintessential Americana stories.”

“Sexual harassment you’ll find anywhere. Post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers, you’ll find that in any country. Dysfunctional families, you’ll find that in any country,” she said. “I think a sense of place is so important in a story, so that Americana thing is beautiful and I completely celebrate it when I tell those stories because I think it’s important. But the universal theme is really the human condition.”

More uniquely American, Theron feels, is the disjointed way movies view men and women.

“We really live in a society, and cinema’s kind of reflected this, where we’re very comfortable with men being conflicted and flawed. We let them get away with it,” she said. “It’s very rare that a woman gets to play something conflicting. We still very much live in a madonna/whore world where there’s no in between.”

But then Theron recounted when writer/director Patty Jenkins came to her with the idea for Monster.

Wuornos was about as conflicted a character as one can find, which attracted the actress.

But Jenkins’ commitment to the story was hardly lost on her.

“There was something about somebody like that coming in with that pure passion and obsession,” said Theron. “I want to hang on to that for as long as I can before I become a jaded, cynical freak.”

Source: chron.com

Charlize Theron is the Oscar-winning actress from the shocking serial killer movie “Monster.”

AnnaSophia Robb is the little girl from the sentimental dog movie “Because of Winn-Dixie.”

The actresses, 32 and 14 respectively, have joined forces to play mother and daughter in a dark and disturbing drama called “Sleepwalking.” Theron also produced the film.

Theron plays an irresponsible single mother trying to recapture her youth by abandoning her daughter and leaving her with a family member (Nick Stahl) who is about to lose his job and be evicted from his home. This delightful family dynamic dips to new low when Stahl’s character and the girl visit the family patriarch (Dennis Hopper), who makes the rest of the dysfunctional family look well-adjusted.

In a comfortable Four Seasons hotel suite, Theron is stunning, as always, and Robb is adorable, as always, as they chat about their bleak movie, what they learned from each other and what, in Theron’s case, an Oscar win means in the grand scheme of things.

As soon as the interview ended, the younger actress headed straight for a dessert table, where she loaded up on S’mores. The model-thin Theron kept walking.

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER: I heard the producer on this movie was real mean.

ANNASOPHIA ROBB (giggles): Oh, yeah. She whipped me every day. I’m kidding, of course.

OCR: Describe your first meeting.

ANNASOPHIA: Let’s see; Bill (director William Maher) and I were sitting there. Then Charlize came in, and the energy in the room suddenly went “Pow!” Gee, that sounded kind of weird, didn’t it? (both actresses laugh).

OCR: What did you talk about?

ANNASOPHIA: We talked about my character. She wanted her to be real. There are kids out there in the world like her and she wanted to show that. I’ve never had a meeting that intense. But it was a fun intense.

OCR: Then what happened?

ANNASOPHIA: She told me to come in the next day to run lines with her. She emphasized that it wasn’t an audition and that was such a relief because I hate auditions. They make me so nervous.

OCR: Does Charlize’s Oscar precede her into the room? Do you feel its weight?

ANNASOPHIA: I didn’t think about it. But I was excited about meeting her because I respect her so much.

OCR: What were your first impressions of her?

ANNASOPHIA: I’ve never felt so much passion from anyone about this business. Normally, people are so jaded.

OCR: So, the rumor that you bring your Oscar into meetings with you is not true?

CHARLIZE (laughing):No.

OCR: How did you know about AnnaSophia? Was it “Because of Winn-Dixie?”

CHARLIZE: No, it wasn’t. Actually, she was working on a film called “The Reaping” with (director) Stephen Hopkins. I had worked with Stephen on “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,” and we became really good friends. He was at my house one weekend and I told him about this project, and how much trouble I was having finding a 12-year-old actress who could carry all this emotional weight. He told me about Anna. He said she was so intense, and that her eyes were unbelievable. She was the only girl we read.

OCR: Let’s talk about your character, who makes Britney Spears look like mother of the year (AnnaSophia laughs). Why should the audience care about her?

CHARLIZE: Life isn’t black and white. In our society, it’s very easy to look at someone and judge them, point a finger at them or label them as crazy or a bad mother. It is rare to step back and try to have some empathy for someone, and to try to understand why they behave the way they do. Believe me, people don’t act out for the sake of acting out. There is usually a reason. So, it’s really challenging as an actor to play a character who, in the first 10 minutes of the movie, does something quite horrendous and unforgiving, and still try to make people understand where she’s coming from.

OCR: Are we supposed to sympathize with her?

CHARLIZE: I never played her to get sympathy. I just begged for empathy. I hoped that people would walk away with a little more understanding.

OCR: What about your character, AnnaSophia (who must deal with feelings of abandonment and abusive family members)?

ANNASOPHIA: She is a child who’s had to deal with all these adult situations. The only adult role model she’s had in her life is her mother, so she’s grown a tough skin because she’s always being let down. Promises are never kept. She has to take control of her life because nobody else is in control. She also finds love in this movie, and she also grows up. It’s really a coming-of-age story.

OCR: I know from our last meeting that you have a very nice family back in Colorado, so I was wondering how you get to that dark place in playing this character?

ANNASOPHIA: Talking to Charlize about these people’s emotions helped me get there.

CHARLIZE: I think what people forget is that actors have very vivid imaginations. The idea that actors have to try heroin to know how to play a heroin addict is complete bull. That’s the first thing I said to Anna. We’ve been given a great gift to have some understanding and a willingness to imagine different circumstances. Anna has an incredible family situation, and we needed to strip that away from her, while assuring her that it was only temporary and she had her family as a safety zone. I told her that if she feels safe and protected, she can go and imagine the worst. That’s what actors do. She had to go to some dark and heavy places to understand this character, but she was willing to go there. It wasn’t easy.

OCR: When you look at this 14-year-old actor, what are you thinking?

CHARLIZE: I’m thinking there is a reserve pool in there that is quite frightening. She is shockingly talented. I never thought of her as a child actor. But she has a real understanding of what it’s like to be a kid. So many young actors in this town pretend to be kids, but they’ve forgotten what it’s like.

OCR: What do you think when you look at Charlize?

ANNASOPHIA: I couldn’t have done this role without her. My family was a little worried about the dark places I was going, but I was fine because Charlize taught me how to get out of those places. She also taught me to work for the right reasons. My passion for the business has grown just by working with her.

OCR: Have you enjoyed a lot of her movies?

ANNASOPHIA: Actually, I haven’t seen a lot of her work. My parents won’t let me see them, especially “Monster.”

OCR: Speaking of “Monster,” are you happy with the choices you’ve made since you won the Oscar?

CHARLIZE: I’m happy with the choices I’ve made since I got into this business. Every decision I’ve made has been because of the story-telling aspect or a director I wanted to work with, not how much money the movie might make or what it might do for my career or whether I might win an award or even a paycheck.

OCR: What does the Oscar mean to you?

CHARLIZE: I see it as a reward for a specific role, not as some kind of validation of my career. But it was great to receive it for a movie that nobody supported.

OCR: How tough was it to get made?

CHARLIZE: There wasn’t one person in this industry who wanted that film made. We had our financiers calling us at 3 a.m. and asking us what the hell we were doing.

OCR: What were their concerns?

CHARLIZE: They didn’t like the way I looked, and they wondered who would want to see this movie. When we finished, we couldn’t pay a distributor to take it. We were hours away from signing a straight-to-video deal with Blockbuster when we found a distributor. For that reason alone, the Oscar was especially sweet.

Source: kansascity.com

After climbing the Hollywood ladder to become one of the hottest A-list actresses on the planet, Charlize Theron can do it all. Whether it was drama in The Astronaut’s Wife, action in The Italian Job, or her stunning portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster, even her role as animated-to-live-action sci-fi hottie Aeon Flux, Charlize Theron has certainly diversified her big screen portfolio. Now Theron takes both the producing and acting reigns in Sleepwalking, a drama about an 11-year old girl’s struggle to deal with abandonment by her mother. At the recent junket for Sleepwalking, Theron was more than happy to talk about playing a single mother, working with young up-and-comer AnnaSophia Robb, producing the movie, and what it’s like to be able to finally vote as an American citizen.

Charlize Theron on whether she had maternal instincts toward AnnaSophia Robb:

“I don’t think it’s maternal. Anna and I became really great pals and she has a great mom and a great father. So she really doesn’t need any more parents, she’s good on that front. We just became really good friends and I didn’t want to set out to become that for her, I wanted to be a good friend and somebody she felt safe with. I wanted to create an environment for her where she felt she could go and do the best work and encourage her. It was more of that kind of relationship; she’s very mature and has really got a good head on her shoulders. In many ways I think I learned more from her than she did from me.”

Theron on playing a single mother:

“I didn’t really reference anything in particular. I talked a lot to Anna about circumstance, which is something I believe in, and that you can take any kind of relationship and throw it in three kinds of circumstance and it will turn out completely different. We tried to always come from a place that wasn’t one dimensional, because I didn’t believe that this was a one dimensional relationship. It’s just too complicated to have a single mom and to have a little girl that’s on the cusp of becoming a woman. You know, turning thirteen. All of those things kind of played into the relationship and more than anything I think we always talked about being incredibly truthful. I wanted her to be fearless in how she reacted to me because I thought a little girl who grew up in that surrounding would be, especially with a mom like Joleen who’s become very aggressive in some sense. She’s in so much denial as to how much pain she’s in, so it had to ring true for her to behave a certain way, which when she’s sitting and going through the magazine and giving me lip. We wanted that the feel authentic because somebody in that circumstance at that age would kind of give her mom lip and it had to be truthful. I think that’s my goal always – whatever the scene is, whatever the moment, or wherever were heading in the story – is to be as truthful as possible.”

On the creative expression in herself to be able to bring out the best in other people:

“I love actors and I knew that the reason I emotionally tapped into the story is because it was very much a performance piece. It was very much reliant on the actor carrying the emotional story and a lot of that relied on Anna. In many ways the only time I really truly kind of threw myself into it was once I met Anna and I knew she was willing to come onboard, she was the girl to do it. As an actor I have a true understanding of how far you can really go is really up to the actor, and when you’re dealing with someone as young as Anna it’s tricky because you can’t just kind of look to an adult and go, ‘That’s not good, let’s go deeper, go darker.’ And it’s tricky with someone as young as Anna, unless they have a clear understanding of what the job is and Anna really understands what it is to be an actor. And more than that, [she] really wants to be a great actress. I don’t think there’s a part of her that thinks of herself as a child actor or anything like that. She wants to be challenged and she wants to be a s good a she possibly can be. So I’m like that and I would look at her sometimes and I would push her and it wasn’t always nice, you know, on the day. But at the same time, I would always say to her when we were done, ‘You’re gonna be really happy because you went all the way and you can sit in the theater and watch this movie and know that you went all the way.’ Anna brings something that’s great already, as a foundation, and then there’s this great willingness of hers that she wants to be pushed. She wants to go as far as she wants to go.”

On her inspiration while growing up:

“I had a great mom. I have a great mom, I’m having dinner with her tonight and I’m sure she’ll kick my ass. I have a very good and healthy relationship with my mom and that started from the time I could have memory. She was just incredibly encouraging. I mean I think there was something about her that had this air that whatever it is, go for it. If I didn’t want to do it, she would say, ‘Well, if you don’t want to do it then you have to call the guitar teacher and tell them you’re not coming for the next class.’ So I would have to call the guitar teacher and say I don’t want to do this anymore. There was this kind of independence that was given to me at a very young age.”

Theron on her work as a producer:

“I think the reason why I like producing is because for me it’s very creative. I mean, I’m fascinated by the business side and I’m fascinated by gap financing and how these intricate ways to finding financing and putting movies together and all of the wonderful places like Regina, Saskatchewan where we filmed this, and you get great incentives and things like that. But at the same time, it’s a creative experience for me because everything you do as a producer leads to telling the story the best way that you possibly can. I think that’s the thing that drives me.”

Charlize Theron on the American political race now that she can legally participate in the vote:

“I looked when I couldn’t vote. Definitely, there’s no way you can live in a country – and I’ve lived in this country for a long time now – I feel very much at home here and this is my home, so I definitely have an opinion and I’m definitely watching the race very closely. I’m a Barack [Obama] supporter. I really like what this guy has to say and I know there’s this whole question of experience. But I think when you look in the past at all of the great leaders that we’ve had, I think I’d go with the guy with the least experience, but the one that actually wants to cause some real change. And I think there’s something really inspiring and infectious about him.”

Source: thedeadbolt.com