How rough was Charlize Theron's physical training to play a kickass assassin in "Atomic Blonde"? We already learned she cracked two teeth so badly she needed dental surgery. Now she reveals she also twisted a knee, bruised her ribs, and didn't stop filming in freezing cold Budapest despite coming down with a nasty case of the flu. Hardcore!

As the Oscar winner told Variety, she trained for four hours a day to play ruthless British agent Lorraine. "I'm coordinated because I was a dancer, and I definitely have movement memory, but I've never been a fighter," she said. "I'm also really tall and a girl. That tends to make you look like you're Big Bird."

She staged many of her own stunts and she didn't hold back. One the second day while rehearsing the spectacular staircase fight seen in the trailer, she badly twisted her knee. Director David Leitch (whom Theron chose after his brilliant work on "John Wick"), told her, "Why are you rehearsing?! We've got to get this on camera."

She didn't let her injuries stop filming, nor did a fever slow her down: "Even when she was sick, she's wearing a little miniskirt and kicking ass," co-star James McAvoy told Variety.

Theron also insisted on complete realism in showing the physical damage of the brutal fight scenes. We see Lorraine bleed and one eye swollen shut. "A lot of times studios or producers are not comfortable with seeing a woman with bruises," she told Variety. "We really wanted to pay attention to that authenticity."

We can't wait until "Atomic Blonde" opens on July 28.

[Via Variety]