An article recounts how Charlize Theron faced initial mockery from co-stars before taking on her Oscar-winning role as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 film Monster. While filming The Italian Job alongside Jason Statham and Seth Green, Theron showed them documentary footage of Wuornos, prompting a disbelieving reaction before they came round to supporting her decision. The film went on to become a critical and commercial success, cementing the physically and emotionally demanding role as one of the most acclaimed of her career.

Theron transformed her appearance for the part, gaining two stone, wearing prosthetic teeth, shaving her eyebrows and using ageing makeup to portray Wuornos, a former prostitute executed in 2002 for murdering seven men. Monster was made on a modest $1.5 million budget but grossed $65 million, and Theron won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress in 2004 for her performance, alongside co-star Christina Ricci as her on-screen girlfriend.