Charlize Theron is one of the most talented actors in Hollywood. She’s been the lead in action masterpieces like Mad Max: Fury Road, won an Oscar for the heartbreaking drama Monster, and most recently starred in Netflix’s Apex. Theron is an A-lister who rarely makes a bad movie, but in the mid-’90s, before anyone knew her, she auditioned to be the lead in a major feature film. If she had gotten the role, it would have been a major break, but it also would have destroyed her career before it started. Charlize Theron tried out and was nearly offered the role to star in Showgirls, a film so bad it’s regarded as one of the worst ever made.
Director Paul Verhoeven Was Glad He Didn’t Hire Charlize Theron for ‘Showgirls’
In 1995, Charlize Theron was a 20-year-old South African now in America with a dream of Hollywood fame. She started out as a model for a few years, before attempting a move to the silver screen. Theron’s first film role was an unforgettable one — an uncredited part in Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest. It wouldn’t be until 1996, when she played Tina in That Thing You Do! that her potential started to be realized. From there, Theron has gone on to become a household name, but everything she has accomplished was nearly ruined by a seemingly huge opportunity.
By the mid-’90s, director Paul Verhoeven was making one big hit after another, with RoboCop, Total Recall, and Basic Instinct coming out in a row. Next up was a movie called Showgirls, a story written by Joes Eszterhas about a young woman, Nomi Malone, new to Las Vegas with a dream of becoming a showgirl who encounters the terrifying world behind the scenes. Elizabeth Berkley eventually landed the lead role of Nomi, but before she did, Verhoeven was looking at the unknown Charlize Theron.
30 Years Later, This Shameless Tarantino-Style Crime Thriller Is Officially on Streaming
The movie was released in the wake of ‘Pulp Fiction.’
In a 2015 interview with the New York Daily News, the director recalled Theron’s audition thought the emerging actress had talent, but because she didn’t have the name value, she was turned down. This ended up as a blessing in disguise. Verhoeven added:
“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!”
Charlize Theron Wouldn’t Be the A-Lister She Is Today If She Landed ‘Showgirls’
Showgirls was an utter disaster, making just $20 million at the box office on a $45 million budget and was trashed by critics. There was a lot of hype going in because an NC-17 rated film was given a wide release, and it starred Elizabeth Berkley, who was best known for playing Jessie on the wholesome Saturday morning series Saved by the Bell. Unfortunately, Showgirls was ruined by abysmal writing and horrible acting from everyone involved, especially Berkley. (Her performance won two Razzies for worst new star and worst performance of the year.) In his interview with New York Daily News, Verhoeven lamented what his movie had done to Berkley and even went so far as to blame himself, saying, “Showgirls certainly ruined the career of Elizabeth Berkley in a major way. It made my life more difficult, but not to the degree it did Elizabeth’s. Hollywood turned their backs on her. If somebody has to be blamed, it should be me.”
Showgirls feels like a trashy Cinemax movie, not a legitimate theatrical film. Verhoeven would rebound, directing the cult hit Starship Troopers two years later. Berkley didn’t recover, and though it’s impossible to know for sure, it’s likely that Charlize Theron wouldn’t have fully recovered, either. The reason so many watched Showgirls to begin with was the curiosity of seeing Berkley doing something so risqué. That wouldn’t have been there with Theron, who no one knew at the time. In this case, not being famous ironically saved Theron and gave her a chance to slowly become the icon she is now.
