"I think she was incredibly kind. I've always said that I have great empathy for all the women who have to watch this film," Theron explained.
Charlize Theron is opening up about Megyn Kelly's response to "Bombshell."
While appearing on "Good Morning America" Monday, the Oscar-winner, who portrays Kelly in the film, spoke about the news anchor's reaction to "Bombshell," which is loosely based on the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News. Although Kelly admitted she would've made some edits if she'd been given the opportunity, Theron said she would have done the same if the roles were reversed.
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View Story"I'd probably want to edit everything if somebody did something about me," Theron said. "I think she was incredibly kind. I've always said that I have great empathy for all the women who have to watch this film, because I do think that even though there is a catharsis around it. It's also having to go back to a place and time in your life that you don't want to be defined by. And you just maybe want to put it behind you."
"I think we're living in such an interesting moment right now where we're actually having a real conversation about sexual harassment in the workplace," she continued. "I think because that's happening, a lot of these women are feeling that the importance of getting this story out there is more important."
The "Max Max" star added that she has "great empathy" for Kelly, who called watching the film an "emotional experience."
"Of course, it must be incredibly emotional to go on this journey again and rewatch it," Theron said. "So I'm just grateful to all of these women that we have this story. I wished this had never happened to them, but I think this story is and will be part of a historical moment that really changes things for women."
On Tuesday, Theron continued her press tour and spoke about the film on "The View." While speaking about relating to Kelly, Theron admitted that at first, she didn't think she'd find anything in common with Kelly, who is famously conservative. However, this turned out not to be not the case.
"She's a woman that I didn't think I had anything in common with and I learned that I had so much in common with her," Theron said. "Because she is somebody who is incredibly ambitious. She wants to be really good at her job. She worked incredibly hard to get to where she was."
See more of Theron's appearance on "The View" below.
"Bombshell," which also stars Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie, follows the story of the many women who allegedly faced years of sexual harassment by Roger Ailes at Fox News. While Theron plays Kelly, Kidman portrays Gretchen Carlson and Robbie plays a character created for the film.
Theron's appearances this week came just a few days after Kelly opened up about her "emotional experience" watching the film.
"My husband @dougbrunt and I recently took our three kids to see the movie 'Frozen 2,'" the 49-year-old journalist captioned a photo of her son looking at a "Bombshell" poster. "As we walked into the theatre, our 6-year-old stopped at this poster promoting another movie hitting the big screen. The ad confused him because it appears to show a picture of me."
"But while the movie Bombshell is loosely based on my experience during the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News, I have nothing to do with this film," she continued. "I did not sell the rights to my story or book and only got my first look at the film once it was past the point of any possible edits, though there are certainly some I would have made."
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"Watching this picture was an incredibly emotional experience for me, and for those with whom I saw it," Kelly concluded. "Sexual harassment is pervasive in this country; it can leave scars that do not heal. My heart goes out to those who've gone through it, who I hope might find some comfort in this story."
Last week, it was announced the film received four Screen Actor Guild nominations, including Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Theron — who is also a producer — supporting nods for Kidman and Robbie, and a nom for its ensemble cast.
The film also picked up two for the Golden Globes: Best Actress for Theron and Best Supporting Actress for Robbie.
Along with Theron, Robbie, Kidman, "Bombshell" also stars John Lithgow as Ailes, Connie Britton as Ailes' wife and Alison Janney as Ailes' legal counsel, Susan Estrich. Mark Duplass, Kate McKinnon, Rob Delaney and Malcolm McDowell also star.
"Bombshell" is in select theaters now.
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