Glittering Academy Award winners Charlize Theron and Gwyneth Paltrow brought some decidedly unglamorous roles to the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, promoting the type of issue-oriented dramas traditionally loved by Oscar voters.

Glittering Academy Award winners Charlize Theron and Gwyneth Paltrow brought some decidedly unglamorous roles to the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday, promoting the type of issue-oriented dramas traditionally loved by Oscar voters.

Theron is pinning her hopes to "North Country," directed by New Zealander Niki Caro, who made the sleeper hit "Whale Rider" in 2002. The film is based on the story of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States. It co-stars Oscar-winners Frances McDormand and Sissy Spacek, along with Woody Harrelson. ¡¡

Theron, who won her Oscar for the harrowing "Monster" in 2003, plays a single mother who rallies women workers to rise above the abuse they face at a local mining company. ¡¡¡¡

She told a festival news conference that Hollywood put too much emphasis on physical beauty, and that what her character looked liked was never discussed with Caro. ¡¡¡¡

"After "Monster," when I started telling people about this story, some people looked at me and said 'oh, you're doing another ugly movie'," she said. ¡¡¡¡

"All we discussed (with Caro) was what is the truth of this woman and the life that she's led," Theron said. "All of a sudden, when you get the answer to the emotional side, the physical elements just come quite organically." ¡¡¡¡

Theron, a former model, gained 30 pounds and wore heavy makeup for the role of prostitute who became a serial killer in "Monster." ¡¡¡¡

PALTROW DRAWS ON FATHER'S DEATH IN "PROOF," MAYBE ¡¡¡¡

In "Proof," based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Auburn, Paltrow takes the role of a young woman who is struggling with the fine line between genius and madness. ¡¡¡¡

Paltrow, who also played the lead in the stage version of "Proof" in London, reunited with "Shakespeare In Love" director John Madden for the screen performance. "Shakespeare" was nominated for 13 Oscars in 1999, and won seven, including Paltrow's Best Actress award. ¡¡

In the film, which has fetched early buzz, her character wrestles with the possibility that she might inherit the madness of her mentally ill father, a brilliant mathemetician. ¡¡¡¡

Paltrow told reporters she wasn't sure if the death of her father, director/producer Bruce Paltrow, in 2002 influenced her performance. Her father died between the end of her stage performance of "Proof" and the start of filming of the movie version. ¡¡¡¡"I think it did probably in a way," she said. "I don't transplant my emotions from real life and put them in what I'm doing. But of course, I was on a very parallel path with Catherine in that respect. I don't know if it changed my performance." ¡¡¡¡

Source:yahoo

Editor: Donald