The 17 best Charlize Theron performances, ranked, and where to watch them right now
Netflix
Charlize Theron wowed is in her new movie "The Old Guard" (on Netflix Friday).
That got us thinking about her best performances of all-time.
Here are her 17 best roles (plus an honorable mention), ranked.
Plus, we list how you can watch them now.
Oscar-winner Charlize Theron has pretty much done it all over her 25-year acting career.
She's done the gritty dramas, the entertaining comedies, and a lot of impressive action movies that seem to be more impressive as she furthers her career. That's certainly the case with her latest movie, "The Old Guard" (available on Netflix on Friday), in which she plays a centuries-old immortal warrior.
These are the 17 best Charlize Theron performances, ranked to her best ever, and where you can watch them right now:
17. Mary in "Hancock" (2008)
Sony
Watch now: Netflix, iTunes, FandangoNow
Even though this grounded superhero movie got mixed reactions by audiences, you can't dispute the great performance Theron gives in it.
As we follow Will Smith playing the reluctant superhero, Hancock, things get really interesting when he crosses paths with Theron's Mary character. After having a city-wide battle with Hancock, she reveals they used to be married.
16. Mavis Gary in "Young Adult" (2011)
Paramount
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Amazon (not Prime)
Theron — mixed with the direction of Jason Reitman and writing of Diablo Cody — produced this awful, yet hilarious, character Mavis Gary. She's divorced and full of rage but believes she's got the qualities to make her old boyfriend leave his married life and run off with her.
This is Theron at her mean-spirited best.
15. Cipher in "The Fate of the Furious" (2017)
Universal
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox, Amazon (not Prime)
Though the "Fast and Furious" has a lot of great qualities, it never had a great villain for the family to go up against until Theron came around with her Cipher character. The out of control tech wiz even gets Dom (Vin Diesel) to team up with her for a little while in this one.
Theron definitely elevates a character that in the past movies would have been forgettable. We can't wait to see what she has in store for us in the next movie in the franchise, "F9."
14. Aeon Flux in "Aeon Flux" (2005)
Paramount
Watch now: Amazon Prime, iTunes, FandangoNow
Theron's first real taste of the superhero genre was in this adaptation of the popular sci-fi cartoon series. Though it didn't get a lot of love from audiences or critics, it did show that Theron was game to do more than be arm candy for a male lead or play a gritty drama.
It certainly laid the foundation for audiences to accept her more in the action roles she would take on in the future.
13. Candy Kendall in "The Cider House Rules" (1999)
Buena Vista Pictures
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Amazon (not Prime)
Theron gives a moving performance as a woman torn between her husband (Paul Rudd), who's off at war, and a young doctor (Tobey Maguire) she's just met.
This is at a point in Theron's career where we are seeing her in multiple films a year, in all different types, as she's getting her career off the ground. This is certainly one of the highlights.
12. Stella Bridger in "The Italian Job" (2003)
Paramount
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Amazon (not Prime)
The same year Theron would win her Oscar for "Monster" she also showed off her action side in this remake of the classic 1969 heist movie.
Playing opposite Mark Wahlberg, she's perfect as a safecracker out for revenge.
11. Mary Ann Lomax in "The Devil's Advocate" (1997)
Warner Bros.
Watch now: Netflix, iTunes, FandangoNow
Marking the role that launched her into a star, Theron plays the wife of a hot-shot Florida lawyer (Keanu Reeves) who begins to lose her mind when they move to New York City. She soon begins to see that they are in the clutches of an evil power.
10. Charlotte Field in "Long Shot" (2019)
Lionsgate
Watch now: HBO Max, Hulu, iTunes, FandangoNow
Theron's recent dive into comedy is one of her best as she plays the Secretary of State who shows her fun side when she reconnects with the guy (Seth Rogen) she used to babysit when they were kids.
I would definitely watch another Theron/Rogen comedy.
9. Andy in "The Old Guard" (2020)
Aimee Spinks/Netflix
Watch Friday: Netflix
In her latest role, Theron turns back to the action-adventure/superhero genre as she plays the leader of a group of immortal warriors.
Theron has definitely found her groove when it comes to playing action heroes.
8. Meredith Vickers in "Prometheus" (2012)
20th Century Fox
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Amazon (not Prime)
Theron goes full ice queen here as the mission director of a space mission that like all movies in the "Alien" franchise goes horribly wrong. But you cannot take your eyes off the rigid Vickers who plays the perfect villain.
7. Lorraine Broughton in "Atomic Blonde" (2017)
Universal Pictures
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Amazon (not Prime)
Theron takes her action skills to the ultimate extremes in this Cold War spy movie. She goes full comic book action star in this one and it's a thrill to watch.
6. Erica Soltz in "The Yards" (2000)
Buena Vista Pictures
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox, Amazon (not Prime)
Arguably Theron's most under-appreciated role, she shines opposite Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix in this crime drama in which she's stuck in a dangerous love triangle.
5. Marlo in "Tully" (2018)
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox, Amazon (not Prime)
Theron, Reitman, and Cody team again and this time knock it out of the park. Theron plays a mother struggling to get through life until she hires a "night nanny" (Mackenzie Davis) to help out with the newborn. But that is certainly not the whole story.
Theron delivers an amazing performance that every mother can relate to.
4. Josey Aimes in "North Country" (2005)
Warner Bros.
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow
Theron received an Oscar nomination for her powerful performance as a miner who after suffering a string of abuse at work becomes the winner of the first major sexual harassment case in the US.
It's wild to think that at this point in her career Theron still has several memorable performances to come.
3. Megan Kelly in "Bombshell" (2019)
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox, Amazon (not Prime)
Theron's latest Oscar nomination would be for this amazing performance as Fox News anchor Megan Kelly in which she completely transforms into the character thanks to the makeup department and how she uses her voice. It is scary how close she looks to Kelly.
2. Aileen Wuornos in "Monster" (2003)
Newmarket Films
Watch now: iTunes, IMDb TV
Theron would win her Oscar for this performance as Aileen Wuornos, a prostitute turned serial killer.
Theron's dedication not just to the performance but the physical transformation is on full display here and would become a trademark in her career going forward.
1. Imperator Furiosa in "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Watch now: iTunes, FandangoNow, Redbox, Amazon (not Prime)
Though she didn't receive any Oscar gold for this performance (heck, she didn't even get nominated), playing Furiosa will go down as a crowning achievement in the sci-fi/action genre. Theron's performance in many ways overshadows that of Tom Hardy's Max, though that is what makes the movie such a great rewatch time and again.
The movie does not conform to any of the usual themes of a Hollywood action movie, and Theron's performance is a prime example.
Honorable mention: Rita in "Arrested Development" (2005)
Imagine Television
Watch now: Netflix
We can't leave out a highlight in Theron's career on the TV side.
Her performance as Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) love interest in season 3 playing an English woman who is mentally challenged (though we think she's a British spy) is a perfect addition to a show that was already hitting every mark when it came to the comedy.
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