Charlize Theron Is a ‘Rare Commodity in Hollywood,’ Henry Golding Says: ‘Female Counterpart to a Tom Cruise’ (Exclusive)

Henry Golding is praising his The Old Guard 2 costar Charlize Theron.

Golding, 38, compared Theron, 49, to fellow movie star Tom Cruise, 62, in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the premiere of The Old Guard 2 at Netflix’s Tudum Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 25.

“You know what it is? She leads from the front. She’s like a rare commodity in Hollywood,” says the Snake Eyes and Crazy Rich Asians star. “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,”

“She and Tom Cruise are some of the last of the movie stars,” he adds.

Theron’s acclaimed acting career, which began in the 1990s and accelerated quickly in the early 2000s, includes three Best Actress nominations at the Academy Awards for 2003’s Monster, 2005’s North Country and 2019’s Bombshell. She won the Oscar for Monster.

In 2016, Theron made Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list.

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In The Old Guard 2, Theron reprises her role as Andy — a.k.a. Andromache of Scythia — and faces off against Uma Thurman’s character.

“Andy and her team of immortal warriors fight with renewed purpose as they face a powerful new foe threatening their mission to protect humanity,” reads Netflix’s synopsis of the film.

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Thurman, 55, and Golding are among the series’ new cast members. Back for the sequel are KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Vân Veronica Ngô and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The Old Guard 2 comes out on Netflix on July 2.

Source People.com