This article was written for The Telegraph, India, and can be viewed online here

Whether she’s shooting her female French love interest coy looks through her perfectly stylised bangs, or there’s blood dripping from her mouth after she’s just been in a punch-up with the KGB, in Charlize Theron’s new movie, Atomic Blonde, you can’t help but find yourself simultaneously crushing on her and wanting to be her at the same time. Here are just some of the reasons why the effortlessly cool Charlize Theron is so awesome.

The award-winning actor has previously walked out on interviewers who have asked her inane questions, preferring to be asked about what she’s reading or her political views, rather than being interrogated about how she lost weight or dealt with going ‘ugly’ for a role. Theron’s no-nonsense attitude to the press is only one way in which she challenges the way women in Hollywood get treated. In a battle to close the film industry pay-gap that was made uncomfortably public after the Sony Hacking scandal, Theron demanded that she be paid the same as her male co-star, Chris Hemsworth, for her work on the Snow White and the Huntsman prequel,The Huntsman.

Theron is clearly no stranger to winning fights like these in spite of the odds. She continues to come out on top in Atomic Blonde no matter how many punches and kicks get thrown at her. As her character, Lorraine Broughton, Theron proves that Blonde can give Bond a run for his money any day, demonstrating that not only can women be kick-ass secret agents, but they can also kick ass in six inch heels. As herself, Theron stands up for what she believes in; she’s not afraid to call out people when she doesn’t agree with the way they treat her. She is a go-getter, a glass ceiling breaker, a champion of equality – what’s not to love?