It's no surprise that looking great on film is a huge advantage for many actresses in Hollywood. From Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, and Ava Gardner to Kate Beckinsale, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, and Angelina Jolie, beauty has played an integral role in shaping the film landscape throughout the decades. Although Oscar winning actress Charlize Theron can be ranked among the sexiest, most beautiful women to ever come out of Hollywood, she'd be the first to tell you that looking great to others is nothing more than a nice compliment. Besides, in a day and age when people are pre-occupied by gorgeous do-nothing celebrities and scandal instead of issues that really matter in life, good looks only go so far if you don't have the talent to back up the veneer.

After taking on a number of serious dramatic roles with topical social underpinnings - In the Valley of Elah, Battle in Seattle, and Sleepwalking - Charlize Theron steps into a more fun, fan-friendly, action oriented film in Hancock, starring with Will Smith as a hard-living, unlikely super hero who shacks up with the wife of his PR repairman.

With the July 2 release of Hancock looming on the horizon, Charlize Theron found time to talk the press on one of her many promotional stops. Like the famous scene in Trading Places, Charlize is not only looking good, she feeling good, too.

What are you wearing?

CHARLIZE THERON: It's out of my closet. IRO.

You're back to your glamorous self in this movie. You don't seem to mind looking less than beautiful in some of your other roles.

THERON: I don't think about it as looking bad. I want to look authentic as an actor. I think I would look so uncomfortable if I was doing a story I wanted to tell and I didn't feel I fit into that world. I would feel so uncomfortable. I think a lot of the research about understanding how to fit into a world - you can't really fit into a lot of worlds when you're wearing John Galliano or Dior dresses. So it's not even about - I don't think about it as looking bad - I mean I obviously understand that people can look at Monster and see that, but I don't even see that. I just feel like it's authentic. I guess that's' the thing I set out to do - how can I be as authentic as possible?

The director said you acted like a boy on the set?

THERON: I have a penis.

It's not easy to be one of the boys joking around with the other actors and crew?

THERON: So why should they only be joking? I can joke just as much. I can joke with the best of them. I've never suffered from being a wallflower. I don't feel like I have to walk into a room and be anything other than me. Will [Smith] and Jason [Bateman] don't carry themselves where you have to feel intimidated. They're a bunch of cool guys and so funny.

How do you look so good? What do you do to keep in shape?

THERON: It's not some mystery. You eat healthy and you drink water and you work out. I've always believed if you're happy in your life, it shows. I always get the most compliments when my life is beautiful, but I think we all know what we have to do. It doesn't mean that we do it every day - I don't. I didn't do it this weekend. But you can't go through your life worrying about it so much because it will stand in the way of a nice life.

Are most of your friends women or men?

THERON: Don’t make me pick one [laughs], don't make me try! I think it's never been hard for me - I've never found it hard to be around men or women. I have friends who are more like, "I'm more of a guy's girl," or "I'm more of a girl's girl." I've never been in that place where I feel like one or the other more. I'm really comfortable with men but I think if I had to say, I'm probably more of a girl's girl. The best things that ever happened to me in my life is because of women, other than my husband [laughs]. But starting with my mom, and then it took me to work with a woman to win me the Academy Award and my production company is run with women. I love women. I'm one of those women... I like girls, I really do, and I don't feel threatened by girls and I don't' feel in competition with girls. And I do realize that girls tend to have that with each other and that's really sad. Men are much more loyal. We're so backstabbing sometimes, but I've never struggled with that. I've always felt very comfortable with both. You just have to be yourself at the end of the day, even if that's not who you are. I think people can see through bullshit.

So you're a good friend to your girlfriends?

THERON: Yes, disgustingly good. But then I have disgustingly good friends back, I really do, and I feel incredibly blessed. But yeah, I'm big on loyalty.

You're an American citizen now - why was it so important to you?

THERON: I've lived half of my life in South Africa and half of my life here, and I feel very much at home here and this is where I live. I like it here. So that's the biggest reason why I wanted to become a citizen is because this is where I'm living right now. I also have a very clear opinion about how I feel about the last eight years in America and the war and things like that, and those things are actually patriotic within me. I know the reason why I tend to speak out is because I am patriotic and I do see the potential for this country, but it's really gone to shit in the last eight years. So I'm very excited to be able to vote and to back somebody who I think can really make some changes in this country and in the world. I'm backing Barack - I think everybody knows that. He's incredible.

As an actor do you feel judged for having an opinion?

THERON: No. I think people think that somehow if you're an actor you don't get politics or it somehow doesn't affect you.

But you were saying earlier that you like women and have a company full of women?

THERON: Yeah, but I'm not going to vote for somebody just because she's a woman and I doubt Hillary would want me to vote for her just because she's a woman. And by the way, we're so late in this. When you look at all the great female leaders in the world - Hello? There are so many great female leaders of our time now that the idea of, "Whoa! This is an historical moment!" Well, this historical moment should have happened ten years ago, I'm sorry, if not longer. And secondly, I don't believe you should just vote for somebody because of their sex or their color. It doesn't make me less of a lover of women - I respect her for who she is and what she's doing is amazing - but I don't agree with her values and I don't like her track record. Wow! Me balls to that!

Looking Good, Feeling Good with Hancock's Charlize Theron Page 2