Aileen Wuornos, a notoriously uncooperative person, gave the writer and director of "Monster" (2003), Patty Jenkins, access to hundreds of letters she had written and received in order to gain insight into Aileen's life.
Jenkins said that she screen-tested Kate Winslet, Heather Graham, Brittany Murphy, and Kate Beckinsale. But ever since seeing Charlize Theron's dark turn in "The Devil's Advocate" (1997), Jenkins had known she wanted her. Jenkins decided Theron was perfect when she awoke to a scene of "The Devil's Advocate" on television. She said that an actress that would allow a close-up of her nose running, as Theron did, would be open enough to pull off the challenging role of Aileen Wuornos.
Theron said in an interview that she was confused when Jenkins approached her for the role. "Why me?" she asked the director. "This stuff doesn't happen to me. These are usually the things that I have to go out there and sweat blood and kill somebody for." Jenkins' reply we "Honestly, I just looked at you, and I looked at everybody else, and I said to myself, 'I could kick the other actors' asses. You, I'm not so sure.'"
Theron said that after she won an Oscar for her performance, instead of people talking about her acting abilities, she had to deal with every interviewer obsessing over how a pretty, thin person could possibly be "brave" enough to gain weight and, as it has since become known in the industry, "go ugly." "Charlize Theron Sacrifices Great Looks for Great Part in Monster," a typical Vancouver Sun piece exclaimed. "When the first photo stills from 'Monster' were published, no one could believe that Theron would downplay her 'greatest asset' to become a homeless lesbian prostitute and serial killer."
The biker bar scenes were filmed at The Last Resort, a bar frequented by the real-life Wuornos, and the place where she was arrested. The owner, who capitalized on Wuornos' infamy by hanging a sign in front advertising "cool beer and killer women," has a cameo as the bartender who threatens to cut off Wuornos for being over her tab limit. (IMDb)
Happy Birthday, Charlize Theron!
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