She may have already played a super cool secret agent in Atomic Blonde, but Charlize Theron could’ve suited up as another woman warrior as well if things had gone differently. As you surely know by now, she was originally offered a part in DC’s phenomenally-successful Wonder Woman but unfortunately, had to turn it down.
At the time, we were told it was due to scheduling conflicts, but now it seems there was another reason. While speaking in a recent interview, the actress explained that being offered the role – which was that of Diana’s mom – felt like a slap in the face to her.
“This is a great example of how Hollywood like slaps you in the face when you start aging. And I was like, ‘I’m not familiar with it. What does Wonder Woman really do?’ And this person said, ‘No, it’s for Wonder Woman’s mom.’ It was the defining moment when I crossed over. And I wasn’t fully aware of it.”
While we can see Theron’s point here, it’s still a shame that things didn’t work out, as Wonder Woman would’ve seen her reunite with director Patty Jenkins for the first time since 2003’s excellent Monster. The South-African actress, who was completely unrecognizable under a prosthetic face in the movie, won an Oscar for her tour de force performance and seeing her working with Jenkins again would’ve been a real treat.
All that being said, it’s not like Theron’s absence hurt Wonder Woman. It went on to become one of the most successful comic book movies of all-time and currently has a sequel in the works. Though there were rumors early on that Theron might actually have a role in the follow-up, as far as we know, she doesn’t. But with Diana Prince looking to have a very bright future on the silver screen, perhaps there’ll be room for Charlize to join the inevitable Wonder Woman 3?
Time will tell, but for now, you can look forward to Gal Gadot’s heroine returning to theaters on June 5th, 2020.