Charlize Theron hesitated to cast herself for the lead role in 2019’s Bombshell.

SUMMARY

Charlize Theron took a long time to decide to cast herself in 2019’s comedy thriller Bombshell.
The actress played Megyn Kelly, a host at Fox News who accused Roger Ailes of harassment.
Theron wanted the movie to become a catalyst for awareness of the abuse in the media industry.

Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie starred in the 2019 comedy thriller Bombshell, a film based on the accounts of the women at Fox News who accused and exposed CEO Roger Ailes of his wrongdoings. The project sought Theron’s production company, Denver and Delilah, and upon reading the script, she was immediately interested. However, the actress felt that casting her own self might be a little too much, so she took her time to reflect.

Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie in Bombshell

Charlize Theron Talked About Her Initial Reservations For Bombshell Movie

During an interview with Deadline, actress Charlize Theron revealed that she was hesitant to hire herself to portray one of the lead roles in Bombshell. She admitted to loving the story, but she was also scared to use her influence over the project only to completely ruin it in the end.
“I loved this script so much, and I didn’t want to f—k the movie up. I was trying to talk myself out of it. I tend to second-guess myself. I didn’t want to stand in the way of this story.”
Theron portrayed Megyn Kelly, one of the hosts at Fox News. Despite her initial skepticism, the actress took the challenge.
“I had to realize that, even through all this stuff, this was a person that did something really incredible, and I couldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. It took a while, and it’s a really scary thing as an actor because I know that my capability lives and breathes in removing myself from these preconceived notions.”

Bombshell (2019)
Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman played Gretchen Carlson, and Margot Robbie as Kayla Pospisil. John Lithgow portrayed Roger Ailes, the executive boss accused of workplace s*xual harassment.

The story of Carlson was not the first of its account as there were many other cases just swept under the rug, but her position helped propel an important movement.

Charlize Theron Wants Bombshell To Continue Stirring Conversations

In the same interview with Deadline, Charlize Theron hoped that Bombshell, as controversial as it was, would become a wake-up call for media industries and workplaces in general to reevaluate the behavior of its employees, particularly those in the higher-ups.
“This story takes place at Fox News, but it’s a backdrop for something that happens in so many places, in so many industries, all over the world. I’ve had these conversations all my life, about things like this happening to women, and I know I’ve had those conversations even more in the past two years since the #MeToo movement started.”

Bombshell (2019)
While this is a work of fiction and many aspects of it were artistically done for dramatization, the theme and topic of it remains a societal issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
“So, there’s a lot of research that has gone into the film, but also, I guess, interactions in my life, where I can absolutely understand.”
Bombshell was helmed by Jay Roach and distributed by Lionsgate. It grossed over $61 million at the worldwide box office against a production cost of $32 million.