RETURNS

HOW DO YOU AVOID MAKING A VERY DRAMATIC
LOVE STORY LIKE SWEET NOVEMBER INTO AN
OVER-THE-TOP MELODRAMA?
“By keeping it real. Very dramatic things
happen in everyday life and in real relationships,
but the secret to making sure
they don’t look melodramatic on screen is
to re-create them as honestly as possible.
That’s where the real acting comes in to
play. That’s when you have to dig deep in
yourself and search for your own emotions.
It can be tough to do, but when you
get it right, the pay-off is worth it.”
DID YOU WATCH THE ORIGINAL WITH SANDY DENNIS
AND ANTHONY NEWLEY BEFORE SHOOTING?
“No, because I didn’t want to be influenced
by it — consciously or unconsciously. I’ve
seen it since, and I really like it. But I
wanted to do Sara my own way, and when
you do a remake, you run the danger of
re-creating someone else’s performance. I
wanted this role to be all mine.”
YOU STARTED OUT AS A MODEL AND, BY 16, WERE IN
MILAN MODELING CLOTHES FOR SOME OF FASHION’S
BIGGEST DESIGNERS. WHY DID YOU STOP MODELING?
“I just got tired of being seen simply as
‘Somebody beautiful who should not say a
word.’ Luckily, after Milan I got a modeling
job in New York. Once I was there, I decided
I wanted to dance with one of the best
dance companies in the world, the Joffrey
Ballet. I auditioned, and I got the job.
Things couldn’t have gone any better for
me. I mean, here I was, this bright-eyed
teenager dancing with the Joffrey Ballet. As
far as I was concerned, I had it made. My
life was set.”
BUT THAT ALL ENDED WHEN YOU HURT YOUR KNEE.
“I damaged it so badly, that they told me
my dance career was over. I was crushed. I
felt like everything I had worked so hard
for was gone, for good. I thought, ‘I’m 18,
and my life is over.’ I was so depressed. I
even thought about going back to South
Africa. But I’ve never been a quitter. And
after a little soul searching, I realized that
the thing I loved about ballet the most was
not the dance but the performance. What I
really liked was putting on the makeup,
getting on stage and projecting a character.
That’s what kind of triggered the idea to
act. That’s when I decided to move to L.A.”
HOW DID YOU LOSE YOUR SOUTH AFRICAN ACCENT?
“Television. I watched American television,
constantly, 24 hours a day for four months
to get rid of my accent. I watched every ▼ ▼
famous 21 february 2001
Model turned actor
Charlize Theron
in Sweet November