Charlize Theron is known to be one of the most beautiful people in Hollywood, but that doesn't mean things have come as easy to her as people would think.
In the latest issue of British GQ magazine, the 40-year-old "Mad Max: Fury road" actress opened up about the struggles she's faced in the business as she, and several other people, have been turned down for roles because of looks.
"Jobs with real gravitas go to people that are physically right for them and that's the end of the story," she explained. "How many roles are out there for gorgeous, f---king, gown-wearing eight-foot models? When meaty roles come through, I've been in the room and pretty people get turned away first."
As someone who has undergone such crazy transformations for roles, like shaving her head and gaining weight, Theron definitely hasn't let her looks stop her from getting roles. And she definitely hasn't let it get in the way of her impressive acting skills. She also touched upon the pressure of being a woman in the industry and how being a female over 40, pretty or not, isn't always ideal.
"We live in a society where women wilt and men age like fine wine. And, for a long time, women accepted it," she said. "We were waiting for society to change, but now we're taking leadership. It would be a lie to say there is less worry for women as they get older than there is for men...It feels [like] there's this unrealistic standard of what a woman is supposed to look like when she's over 40."
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In 2007, actress Jessica Biel also said the same kind of thing about struggling to get jobs in the industry because she's too pretty. It actually hurt her career when she was named Esquire's Sexiest Woman Alive in 2005.
"[One director told me,] 'I'm not looking for the sexiest woman; I'm looking for the girl next door,'" she said at the time. "Parts I really want aren't going to me. Like 'The Other Boleyn Girl' with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. I don't want to say that there's nothing I love that I can't have. But there's still the occasional script that the director doesn't want to see you for. They want that top tier of girls."
And as for gender inequality in the industry, Theron isn't the first one to bring that up, either. Just last year, actress Jennifer Lawrence wrote a candid letter in Lena Dunham's newsletter Lenny about sexism. Lawrence opened up about how when the Sony hack happened, she found out she was being paid less than her male co-stars because they succeeded as negotiators, while she didn't want to seem "difficult" or "spoiled" by asking for more money.
"I'm sure they were commended for being fierce and tactical, while I was busy worrying about coming across as a brat and not getting my fair share," she wrote. "Again, this might have NOTHING to do with my vagina, but I wasn't completely wrong when another leaked Sony email revealed a producer referring to a fellow lead actress in a negotiation as a 'spoiled brat.' For some reason, I just can't picture someone saying that about a man."
