The Oscar winner spoke to ET about her cameo in the ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel and the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise.
While hosting a screening of Jurassic World: Dominion to benefit The Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), which invests in African youth to help them stay safe from HIV/AIDS, the Oscar-winning actress spoke to ET’s Matt Cohen about her surprise cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and returning for the Fast and the Furious franchise’s 10th sequel, Fast X.
When it comes to the former, which sees her joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Clea, “It was such a nice surprise."
"You know, they reached out to me and it all kind of happened pretty fast,” Theron says, explaining that she “felt so invited into the creative process and what this can be.”
She adds, “So, all of that was really exciting.”
In the sequel, Clea appears at the end of the film to recruit Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to help her deal with an “incursion” in the multiverse. When it comes to Theron playing Clea, a prominent character from Dr. Strange’s world, screenwriter Michael Waldron previously told ET her casting “is super exciting.”
“Clea is one of Dr. Strange’s most famous counterparts in the comics,” he continued, explaining that she, “in a lot of ways, is equal as a sorcerer and a ‘will they, won’t they’ love interest throughout the ages and she’s Dormammu’s niece.”
And what ultimately makes Clea a great addition to the franchise is that “she becomes a great foil of his and they can go onto some really fun adventures together in the future,” Waldron said, teasing the potential for more of Clea and Dr. Strange to come.
Not only do fans get to look forward to how she shakes things up for the MCU, they will get to see her reprise her role as Cipher, a criminal mastermind and cyberterrorist in the Fast and the Furious franchise. After first appearing in The Fate of the Furious and Fast & Furious 9, Theron will be back for more.
“I’m always so happy when I get the call to come back. And it was lovely to go back and be a part and have a small part in it,” Theron says of playing Cipher in Fast X as well as the upcoming 11th sequel.
In addition to reprising her role, Theron will also appear in scenes with franchise newcomer Jason Momoa, who will play a new villain in the film series. He’s among the many new additions that also includes Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson and Rita Moreno.
“You keep hearing, like, all the announcements and I’m like, ‘Wow. Oh my God, it’s even cooler than I thought,’” she says of all the casting news.
“Those guys just pull out all the stops. It’s, like, incredible,” Theron says of the franchise led by Vin Diesel. “I think it speaks volumes to what they’ve built over 20 years and that’s something to be very proud of.”
Meanwhile, Theron is also proud of the work that her organization has been doing since it was first founded in 2007. “It’s actually our 15-year anniversary, which is shocking,” she says, explaining that the screening of the latest Jurassic World sequel, which is now in theaters, is a “special” moment.
“It’s a little bit emotional just to see our evolution and where we’ve come, you know. We started out as more specifically focused on HIV/AIDS and the prevention of that and kind of trying to fill a gap that really wasn’t served in that world,” Theron says, before noting no one was investing in young people across Africa. “So, for us as a global community, it’s really important to invest in the possibilities of young people and what they’re gonna bring to the global world. So, investing in their health and education and safety is really a top priority.”
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