Charlize Theron Could Have Ended Her Career With This Box Office Flop

Like most recognizable movie stars, it took many years for Charlize Theron to become an overnight sensation. Her first film role was that of an unnamed, non-speaking extra in James D.R. Hickox's 1995 slasher sequel "Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest," a film Theron remembers well. She chased that with the 1996 mid-budget neo-noir "2 Days in the Valley," in which she played the girlfriend of a gangster portrayed by James Spader. With her foot in the studio door, she began turning up in multiple high-profile nationwide releases like "Trial and Error," and "That Thing You Do!," but she really caught a lot of attention for her impassioned performance in Taylor Hackford's 1997 demonic thriller "The Devil's Advocate." After that, she was pretty much a celebrity. Indeed, she even played a celebrity in Woody Allen's 1998 film "Celebrity."

The same year she was in "Urban Harvest," though, Theron had an opportunity that could have put her career on a very different path. She had gone in to audition for director Paul Verhoeven, who had just scored big hits with "Total Recall" and "Basic Instinct" and aimed to make a towering, big-budget musical/dance project that was intended to shake up the Hollywood zeitgeist. Verhoeven and his screenwriter, Joe Eszterhas, wanted to make a film that was loaded with sex and nudity, hoping to normalize adult stories in the American mainstream.

Sadly, their film — "Showgirls" — was a notorious bomb that was panned by critics. It only made about $38 million at the box office against a $40 million budget and became a punchline for decades, pointed to as one of the worst studio films in years. "Showgirls" starred Elizabeth Berkley, who was best known at the time for her role on the family-friendly sitcom "Saved by the Bell." Many were shocked to see her getting her kit off, sniffing coke, and undulating constantly.

In 2015, Verhoeven recalled Theron's audition to play the lead in "Showgirls" during an interview with the New York Daily News. He agreed that she dodged a bullet.

The role of Nomi Malone is, it should be noted, very demanding. It involved a lot of nude dancing, tons of makeup, large emotional swings, and a few scenes of violence. Berkley threw herself into the part, although she was clearly directed to "go large," pushing her performance into the realm of high camp. The over-the-top melodrama and copious amounts of sex and nudity have since gained "Showgirls" a cult following; some fans (including this author) can quote the film's terrible script at length. After the failure of "Showgirls," however, Berkley had to undergo a serious career reconsideration. No studio would hire her, so she began studying acting again and taking roles on stage and in smaller indie films. Berkley has certainly honed her craft, but it took her many years to accept that "Showgirls" had a cult.

Verhoeven remembered turning Theron down for the role of Nomi while speaking to the New York Daily News. "Charlize also auditioned," he explained, "and I don't recall her having any problem with the nudity at all. She was good and wanted the part, but basically, she was not well-known enough at the time and just did not fit the part. So, we said no." Indeed, Berkley had a professional career to build on at that point, whereas Theron was just the silent teenager from "Children of the Corn III." Hence, Berkley was the wiser choice.

Verhoeven admitted, though, that the media was very cruel to Berkley after "Showgirls" and was certain Theron, whatever the quality of her performance, would have had to endure the same thing. As he put it:

"I have full respect for Charlize, but if she had been offered the part, then she would probably have been chewed up in the same way they treated Elizabeth. She was very lucky that she did not get the part. I wish Charlize congratulations for that because it would have been a miserable 20 years for her!" 

Of course, one cannot say for sure if an unknown would have survived or thrived thanks to "Showgirls."

At the time, Theron likely felt dejected for not landing the lead in "Showgirls." It certainly would have been her big break into movies, especially since she was only 19 when it happened. Berkley, in contrast, was 23.

Speaking with SAG/AFTRA in 2018, Theron confirmed that she, too, remembers her "Showgirls" audition. The actor admitted that she's terrible at auditions, adding that "Showgirls" was only her second audition ever. She didn't get the role, but the film's casting director, Johanna Ray, was really impressed with her. Theron, for her part, said she couldn't, for the life of her, understand what Ray saw, as her audition had her fake pole-dancing (something she felt she did very poorly). All the same, Ray introduced Theron to the talent agent J.J. Harris, and it was Harris that guided Theron's career in the right direction. Theron noted that Harris was kind of her mentor and "changed [her] career," as the pair went on to work together for 20 years.

It was, in fact, Harris that got Theron the audition for "2 Days in the Valley," and the rest is history. In 1999, Theron would go on to star opposite Tobey Maguire in "The Cider House Rules" (a film that won a pair of Academy Awards) before landing her first Oscar nomination — and win — in 2003 for her performance playing real-life serial killer Aileen Wournos in "Monster." Theron has continued to star in prestige pictures, monster movies, and high-octane blockbusters ever since.

Berkley, meanwhile, has continued to work as well and even appeared opposite Theron in the 2001 Woody Allen film "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion." She also had a notable role in the excellent "Roger Dodger" and the very good sex comedy "Women in Trouble," played recurring parts on "CSI: Miami" and "The L Word," and has appeared many times in plays on London's West End and Broadway. Berkley doesn't have any Oscar nominations yet, but she's keeping busy.