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CHARLIZE THERON LEARNS
CAPOEIRA FOR ‘AEON FLUX’ FILM
by Ursula Escher
HOLLYWOOD—In December 2005, a feature film based on the MTV animated series Aeon Flux is scheduled to hit theaters across America. The story takes place 400 years in the future, after disease has wiped out the majority of the earth’s population. Spared from the devastation is Bregna, a walled city-state ruled by a congress of scientists.
The plot revolves around Aeon Flux (played by Charlize Theron), the top operative in an underground rebellion led by “The Handler” (Frances McDormand). When she’s sent on a mission to kill a government leader, she uncovers a world of secrets.
In the tradition of Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, Aeon Flux is heavy on action and martial arts scenes. To prepare Theron for the demands of cinematic combat, Paramount producers turned to Neal Rodil Jr., aka “Professor Xingu,” from Tarzana Karate/Capoeira Batuque in Tarzana, California.
Black Belt: Could you describe the extent of Charlize Theron’s training for the Aeon Flux role?
Neal Rodil Jr.: She trained about three and a half months for about six days a week, four and a half to five hours a day. Paramount rented two nice facilities: One was a martial arts studio so we had access to punching bags and equipment, and the other was a gymnastics studio where she worked on the trampolines and wires.
 BB: What was her training regimen like?
Rodil: Her capoeira training consisted of mostly sequences of different types of kicks, from beginner to advanced, and acrobatics. She also learned some of the art’s takedowns and hand strikes. We would do many repetitions and a lot of partner drills to make sure her capoeira technique was perfect.
BB: Did she have any previous martial arts experience?
Rodil: I believe not, but Charlize was raised on a farm in Benoni, South Africa, and came to the United States as a ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet in New York. Since she was a trained classical ballet dancer, she was able to pick up the kicking techniques in a short amount of time.
She is very talented, and the martial arts seemed to fit her. She even picked up some advanced capoeira movements that would take an average person years to learn. She was doing movements such as meia-lua, mariposa, macaco and tesouras in such a short amount of time. I was very impressed by her raw talent.
And we only had three and a half months to train. She had just won the Best Actress Oscar after her first Academy Award nomination for Monster, for which she had gained 25 to 30 pounds. So she went through a dramatic change in diet and training for her role in Aeon Flux.
 BB: Why did she choose capoeira?
Rodil: I think her boyfriend, actor Stuart Townsend, introduced capoeira to her when they traveled to Brazil on vacation. She liked the art because it was so different, eye-catching and dynamic. Also, I feel that capoeira fits her fun spirit.
BB: What did she like most about capoeira?
Rodil: She definitely liked the flow of the movements and the mixture of dance and martial arts. I also think she liked the fact that she was able to do the movements and understand its self-defense applications. Charlize strived for perfection, and she would practice the movements repetitively until her techniques were flawless.
 BB: What other types of training did she do for the film?
Rodil: She had an awesome group of people who helped her. She had a strength and flexibility coach, a gymnastics coach from Cirque Du Soleil and a great stunt team that taught her wire work and fighting choreography.
BB: When did you start training in capoeira?
Rodil: I’ve been doing capoeira since my youth. I started out with mestre Vaughino at Capoeira San Jose, then moved to Los Angeles in 1997, where I continued my training with mestre Amen Santo of Capoeira Batuque. Mestre Santo gave me permission to teach in 2000.
BB: What other movie stars have you trained?
Rodil: Some of my past clients include Lee Thompson Young (The Famous Jett Jackson, Friday Night Lights, South Beach) and Bill Bellamy (Def Comedy Jam). I also did stunts for Jet Li and have been in numerous commercials, music videos and films displaying capoeira
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