Why Henry Golding Called Charlize Theron ‘Female Counterpart to a Tom Cruise’

In a recent interview, Henry Golding called Charlize Theron the “female counterpart to a Tom Cruise,” and this might be a bold statement to make, but after being in the front row seat of seeing Theron’s action star prowess, his statement holds true. 

Golding comparing Theron to Cruise isn’t just about flashing a megawatt smile and doing their own stunts. It’s about energy and dedication to their craft. During the premiere of The Old Guard 2 at Netflix’s Tudum Theater in Los Angeles, the Crazy Rich Asians star was all praises to his co-star. He told People, “You know what it is? She leads from the front. She’s like a rare commodity in Hollywood. She is the female counterpart to a Tom Cruise. She’s the producer. She’s on set first thing in the morning, last at night, and she’s creating what she wants and she’s in there with the action. She’s in there with the choreography.” 

He added boldly, “She and Tom Cruise are some of the last of the movie stars.” 

Golding joined the sequel for Netflix’s The Old Guard starring Theron as Andromache “Andy” of Scythia. She leads a group of mercenaries including Nile Freeman (KiKi Layne), Joe / Yusuf Al-Kaysani (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky / Nicolò di Genova (Luca Marinelli), and Booker / Sebastian Le Livre (Matthias Schoenaerts). They all have regenerative healing abilities and are on a mission to help people. Chiwetel Ejiofor also reprised his role as James Copley. 

The sequel continues the events of the first film, with Andy struggling to live her life after losing her immortality. She and her group of immortals were forced out of hiding when the first of the immortals, Discord (Uma Thurman) threatens the world. Golding plays the role of Tuah, who based on the trailer, is on Andy’s team and gave her details of who Discord is. 

The Old Guard 2 is scheduled to be available for streaming on Netflix on July 2.