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If you want to learn acting, the films used as teaching material can't be limited to classic masterpieces or past Best Picture Oscar winners.
Henry set his sights on films that had received Oscar nominations—or wins—for acting awards: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.
Back when the Oscars hadn't yet been cheapened by PR games and smear campaigns, they still carried real weight. Otherwise, filmmakers around the world wouldn't have coveted them so desperately as proof of achievement.
So any film that earned acting nominations, let alone wins, was bound to have something remarkable worth learning from.
As for acting schools, methods, and theoretical frameworks—Charlize had already learned all of that in her previous acting classes. Henry had no intention of lecturing her on theory, so he went straight for learning through imitation.
The first film chosen as a reference was Misery (1990), adapted from Stephen King's novel of the same name.
This psychological horror film earned its lead actress, Kathy Bates, the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 63rd Oscars, as well as the Golden Globe for Best Actress that same year.
This was no glamorous female-lead film, nor a sweet-girl romance. It was a terrifying story about an obsessed fan who, dissatisfied with a novel's ending, doesn't just mail razor blades to the author—but, after rescuing the injured writer by chance, imprisons him and forces him to rewrite the story according to her will.
Honestly, keyboard warriors are weak by comparison. They should really take notes on what true obsession looks like.
For the female lead, the character begins as a devoted reader. When the fate of the fictional character fails to meet her expectations, that devotion twists into hatred toward the author.
When she finally meets the author in person, she pretends to be kind and gentle, trying to control him through warmth and care.
But when the author resists, her madness surfaces. She resorts to threats and violence to coerce him—eventually even killing a police officer, proving that her threats are not empty words, but promises she will carry out.
This multi-layered emotional tension, combined with Kathy Bates's extraordinary performance as a heavyset, unglamorous actress, allowed her to defeat Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Anjelica Huston, and Joanne Woodward—both rising stars and veteran queens of the screen—becoming famous in a single battle.
She also became the first actress in film history to win an Oscar for a horror movie.
Watching her portray a character with wildly shifting, unsettling emotions—where the camera mercilessly lingers on extreme close-ups of her face—was a masterclass.
At times gloomy and repressed, at times explosively furious, every extreme emotion was conveyed with breathtaking clarity. Despite this being her first leading film role, she overwhelmed the entire cast and became the sole soul of the movie.
And keep in mind, her co-star was James Caan—who had played Sonny Corleone in The Godfather and received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He had been acting for twenty-seven years.
Even so, he could only tremble under Kathy Bates's metaphorical sledgehammer.
Choosing Misery as the very first imitation exercise was, frankly, hell-mode difficulty for Charlize Theron.
Henry watched the film once with Charlize from start to finish. On the second viewing, he paused at every major highlight, explaining the lead actress's acting techniques.
Sometimes he also had to explain the director's intent and cinematography choices to fully unpack why a particular shot became iconic.
Then he selected a specific scene. Charlize memorized the lines, internalized the emotions, and performed it in front of Henry's camera—using limited props and imaginary sets, simply doing and saying exactly what the character did in the film.
And then… immediate playback.
Once again, the future Oscar winner desperately wanted to crawl into a hole and question whether she should really continue down the path of acting.
Charlize collapsed into Henry's arms. After her third attempt at the same scene—still worlds apart from the original—her confidence shattered. She clung to Henry like a storm shelter, drowning in self-pity.
Henry smiled gently and comforted her.
"You don't seriously think Kathy Bates got paid just for giggling at the camera and selling sex appeal, do you?
"Look at her. She graduated from Southern Methodist University, which has an arts program—its music school is one of the best in the country. She moved to New York in 1969 and started performing in Off-Broadway theater.
"She made her film debut in 1970, but because of her appearance, she mainly cultivated her career on stage. In 1988, she was even nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
"Before Misery, she'd acted in fewer than ten films, mostly in small roles. But over twenty-plus years, she built immense experience and a rock-solid foundation in acting.
"That's why her first leading role won her an Oscar. If you're a kid who just picked up a basketball, then even if she's not Michael Jordan—Black Jesus himself—she's at least a Hall of Famer. That's the gap between you."
Now Charlize was the one who wasn't happy.
She pushed herself up, pouting and rolling her eyes. "So you're comparing me to her to imply that I should just give up acting?"
"Of course not."
Henry picked up the VHS case rented from Blockbuster and put it into her hands, deliberately pointing at the bold words on the cover announcing the Academy Award–Winning Actress.
"I'm telling you to aim for becoming an actor like her. If all you do is sell sex appeal and flash your boobs for the camera, what happens once Hollywood loses interest in you?
"Will you pay some other price to keep your career alive? When that red couch appears in front of you, what will you choose? Compromise? Climb onto it and spread your legs?
"No. For an actor, acting skill is everything. You need the ability to handle any role. Only then will directors and producers even consider you when a project needs someone.
"A wide acting range means more opportunities. It means you can play different roles at different ages—instead of being discarded the moment your youth expires.
"That's the direction you should be working toward. Even if you never reach the heights of A-list superstars, you'll still be able to put down roots and stand firm in Hollywood."
Charlize Theron wasn't some second-generation celebrity born with a silver spoon, with parents ready to pave her path at a whim. Nor did she have abundant resources or powerful backers lining up roles for her.
Coming to Hollywood, aside from her exceptional looks, it wasn't just love of acting that drove her—it was hunger for success. She wanted to prove herself, to earn enough money to improve her own life and her mother's.
Henry's words poured fuel onto that fire. She stood up again, unyielding, her pride blazing.
"Then let's do it. Fourth take!"
"No, no," Henry said. "Let's switch scenes."
Charlize frowned. "Why?"
"I want you to study the techniques used by the actors in the film, then perform the same character in your own way. I'm not trying to turn you into Kathy Bates. So there's no need to repeat the same scene endlessly. Let's change it. I picked the last one—this time, you choose."
Charlize's eyes spun, then curved into crescent moons as she smiled brightly.
"Then let's do the scene where the male lead tries to escape, gets caught, and the female lead smashes his ankles with a sledgehammer. You'll act with me. Go find a hammer."
"Wow," Henry said. "You're getting revenge now, aren't you?"
"No backing out."
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