2004 proved to be quite a big year for Charlize Theron, who not only won her first Oscar award for Best Actress in Monster but also scooping up a major endorsement deal with Dior — a partnership that has lasted for 16 years and counting.
It’s quite unusual for brands to stick with a celebrity for as long as Dior has kept a close business relationship with the actress, yet at the same time, Theron is the ultimate golden girl in Hollywood, with a squeaky clean reputation and dozens of blockbusters flicks under her belt, she would be any company’s dream to work with.
What was initially only set to last for three years has now turned into an almost two-decade-long endorsement deal, but what’s even more interesting is the amount of money Theron has made since commencing work with the luxury firm.
How Much Has Charlize Theron Made With Dior?
It’s estimated that Theron has made anywhere between $70-80 million since forming her partnership with Dior.
As previously revealed, the deal was initially only supposed to last for three years, and while it was never disclosed why the firm was looking to extend their contract with the blonde beauty, one can only imagine that sales for her range of fragrances must’ve been high enough for them to renegotiate her next deal for another three years.
When Theron inked her first deal with Dior, sources say she was making around $3 million per year, but those numbers skyrocketed to a whopping $5 million when an extension to her contract had been offered.
While some celebs hop from one endorsement deal to the other, the Hancock star knows that there’s always a risk of over saturating her brand by tying herself to too many different brands — particularly if it becomes more about the money than fully embracing the product they are selling to their demographic.
Not only has the mother of two promoted Dior’s range of fragrances but she’s also appeared in marketing campaigns for their watches.
While holding on to her lucrative deal, Theron also signed on to promote Uniqlo Heattech in 2010, but once her contract ended, she decided to tie her attention back fully to Dior, which is probably what has made the company like working with her — because she only endorses their range of products.
In 2018, Theron opened up on her long-time partnership with Dior during a Harper’s Bazaar interview, revealing how partnering with the brand has allowed her to continue advocating for the causes she cares about.
"Women from all different cultures, backgrounds and countries are coming together in solidarity to say, ‘we are done’ and are acknowledging that we have to work together to stop this lack of representation,” she said.
“Any time I work with Dior, there is always a conversation happening about diversity and the perception of women and I’m lucky to get to work with a brand that is as interested in those questions as I am.”
"As I’ve got older I’ve come to understand that beauty is not what I saw when I was 15 years old in adverts […] I think the Dior J'adore campaigns have always pushed boundaries. They feel bold and really ask, 'how can we, in an artistic, beautiful way, show what femininity is all about, what it is to be a woman?’.”
With her lengthy Dior partnership, alongside her booming acting career, Theron has amassed a $131 million net worth since her rise to stardom when she starred in 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate.
She has since gone on to appear in dozens of blockbuster hits including Snow White and the Huntsman, Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, and the highly-acclaimed Bombshell with Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie.
Theron is currently filming The Addams Family 2, while it was recently announced that she will also be producing and starring in Atomic Blonde 2, which is expected to hit theatres sometime in 2022.
In July 2020, the South African native spoke about her forthcoming work on the latter film project, which she says hasn’t been all that easy since most of the planning had taken place through Zoom conference calls, but nonetheless, the action-packed flick is certainly in development.
“We’re in the development stages right now, and that’s the one thing that lockdown has been good for — being able to develop with writers over Zoom,” she asserted. “So, we’re actively developing [an Atomic Blonde sequel] right now.”
Production on the motion picture is expected to commence near the end of the year.