Charlize Theron thinks her naivety helped her during the making of her debut movie.

SUMMARY

Charlize Theron made her debut opposite Marvel star James Spader in 2 Days in the Valley.
Theron impressed viewers with her seductive beauty and layered performance in the crime comedy.
Director John Herzfeld was left impressed by her boldness despite the actress feeling embarrassed about her audition.

When Charlize Theron arrived in Los Angeles on a one-way ticket from South Africa, even she wouldn’t have expected to land a major role in a feature film. Of course, she was also seen in racy shots in white lingerie on billboards across L.A. in the space of 10 months.

Charlize Theron in 2 Days in the Valley.

As fate would have it, both things happened, and plenty more for the 19-year-old talent after she managed to impress 2 Days in the Valley director John Herzfeld. Recalling her experience of working in the neo-noir crime black comedy, Theron admitted she wasn’t sure in which direction her life was going to go at the time.

Charlize Theron Details Her Experience of Working in 2 Days in the Valley

John Herzfeld’s 2 Days in the Valley follows 48 hours in the lives of two hitmen, two cops, and other stakeholders in the crime world of Los Angeles. Charlize Theron portrays Helga Svelgen, the girlfriend of Lee Woods, a hitman portrayed by James Spader, whose last big-screen contribution came in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015.

Charlize Theron.

Now considered the ultimate action queen of Hollywood, Theron played a much more subtle antagonist in the 1996 R-rated film, which also includes her career’s raciest scene to date. Wearing her white lingerie, which became a regular feature in different film posters and other promotional materials, Helga makes love with Lee.

Apart from leaving viewers in awe of her seductive beauty, Theron also brings them to the edge of their seats by showing the cold-blooded assassin side of her character as the plot progresses. The engrossing portrayal of the complex character helped the model show her acting prowess and eventually bag more intriguing parts in the late 90s.

In 2016, Theron joined a Q&A after the 20th-anniversary celebration screening of 2 Days in the Valley and recalled what was going through her mind at the beginning of her career.
“I was so intrigued by this aspect of storytelling, even though I wasn’t crystal clear about what it was,” she said (via WWD). “I think my naivety and stupidity kind of helped me in a weird way. And John was crazy enough to give me the job.”
The part of Helga was originally written for Tomorrow Never Dies star Daphne Deckers, but she couldn’t join the project due to other commitments (via IMDb). This opened doors for the former ballet dancer to show her talents to Herzfeld.

Why Charlize Theron Was Embarrassed About Her 2 Days in the Valley Audition

With very little experience in giving auditions, Theron decided to follow the advice she got in acting class about making it as real as possible.

Charlize Theron.

The scene in the 2 Days in the Valley‘s audition involved her character showing up at a house after being shot. Accordingly, to keep things ‘real’ Theron walked into the hallway and poured ketchup all over herself, barged back into the room, and dropped a very loud performance.

While she was later embarrassed about it, Herzfeld was impressed, realizing she would be up for anything. The film wasn’t a box office success but slowly amassed a cult following, and serves as a perfect example of Theron’s boldness, beauty, and impeccable on-screen presence.