Charlize Theron is willing to do pretty much whatever it takes to do a role justice. For her current part in Mad Max: Fury Road, she has shaved her head. Usually, being Charlize Theron is just a matter of being very prety and acting like the pro she is.

But sometimes it can be about being ugly. When Charlize Theron portrayed Aileen Wuornos in Monster, she gained 30 pounds and wore false teeth that really uglied her up.

When it comes to getting the look that she needs for a particular role, Charlize Theron has a simple formula: you have to respect the role you agreed to do.

“Every movie is its own animal and you have to respect it and treat it that way,” she told ET.

For a film like Mad Max: Fury Road, that was not just a matter of showing up, wearing a prosthetic, sitting through makeup, etc. The filming of that movie stretched out for a long time. Charlize Theron did not only have to show up. She had to show up for a very extended marathon process.

“This one was just a naturally a long process because the movie took so long to make,: she explained, “but I had a lot to have the story really inform me as to what I needed to do and what needed to happen. So I was grateful for the time.”

But shaving her head? Did she really need to go to that extreme? That takes a while to bounce back from.

“I just had this moment where I was like, ‘I need to shave my head! I can’t think about what I’m going to do with my hair in this movie. I’m going to be in the desert. I’m a new mother. Let’s just shave it. The next day we did it. I can’t even imagine doing it any other way.”

Maybe making millions of dollars on a film softens the blow of having to grow one’s hair back out.