Mastering rapid weight gain and even swifter weight loss once before, Charlize Theron, at the age of 43, decided to embark on a similar journey yet again. Following her transformative experience with Monster, Theron wholeheartedly accepted the challenge of her role in Tully, gaining more than 50 pounds to authentically inhabit the exhausted mother of three.

Though widely praised as one of the highlights of her career, Theron reentered the arena with the belief that history would repeat itself. Regrettably, that wasn’t the case. Thus, it can be said that despite drawing numerous takeaways from the film, the weight gain remained her least cherished aspect.

Therefore, during a recent conversation with Allure magazine, the actress openly discussed the frustrations and challenges that ensued after making the life-altering choice for the film.

Charlize Theron in a still from Tully (2018)

Charlize Theron Regretted Gaining Weight for This Movie

Stepping into the 2018 film Tully, Charlize Theron, at 43, embraced a remarkable transformation, adding over 50 pounds to authentically embody a three-time-pregnant exhausted character. Initially, the actress gleefully jumped in on the journey, describing it “like a kid in a candy store.”

However, the fairy tale took a darker turn once the film’s cameras stopped rolling, and she found herself thrust back into the glittering world of glitz and glamour that constituted her normal daily life. Theron slid into depression. In a recent interview with Allure, she said,

“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,–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.”

Charlize Theron never wants to do a movie that involves extreme physical transformation

The weight gain plunged her into a period of depression, and it took her a year and a half to rediscover her familiar self. She characterized the experience as a descent into hell and strongly claimed that she would never again subject herself to such a demanding transformation that especially required tampering with her weight.

Getting Back in Shape Was Not Easy for Charlize Theron

The shooting for the film concluded shortly before Thanksgiving, and while Theron was initially enthusiastic about shedding the extra pounds, the task proved to be particularly daunting for her. She revealed,

“I wrapped the film right before Thanksgiving and I was like, ‘Great, I’m not going on a diet now,’ I’m going to do the holidays,–And then when January came around it was just like I could barely walk on a treadmill. My body just didn’t respond like it did the last time I did this. It took like a year and a half for the weight to come off.”

Charlize Theron

As a result, the actress had to adopt a tough approach, being exceptionally strict with herself and sticking to a disciplined diet and exercise regimen. Although she had to occasionally hide that extra weight with a couple of blazers on the red carpets, she finally got her ‘normal’ size back.

However, although she had to endure a lot of difficulties due to her age, she refrains from complaining about it. In fact, she perceives this phase of her life as her ideal. Thus, the actress remains hopeful and positive about what lies ahead.