10 Actors Who Went Through Hell (For Films No-One Saw)
8. Charlize Theron Was Almost Paralysed - Aeon Flux
During the 1990s, MTV had a showcase animation series called Liquid Television which launched many experimental animations including Daria, Celebrity Deathmatch, and Beavis + Butthead. One short that stood out was Aeon Flux, which revolved around a mysterious amoral secret agent battling evil forces in the future.
The short was a huge hit and so, launched an animated series and a film adaptation with Charlize Theron playing the lead role. Despite the fact the movie was heavy on action and Theron had a stunt double, she insisted on performing her own stunts. While performing one shot, Theron fell on her neck and herniated a disc. In her own words, "I was 1cm from being completely paralysed for the rest of my life." The injury was so severe, production was shut down for a month.
Aeon Flux was released in 2005 and flopped so bad, it didn't recoup its budget. Sadly, that's not the end of the story. Theron continued to suffer neck pain... for the next eight years! In 2013, Theron had to endure spinal surgery to correct her vertebrae once and for all.