A fairy tale that empowers women

THE Huntsman: Winter's War might be based on the Brothers Grimm's and Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales Snow White and The Snow Queen respectively but the film's star Charlize Theron insists that underneath is "a strong story for women" about society's obsession with beauty and youth.

"I think there is a lot of misplaced value in how women feel about themselves," says the South African ex-model and mother of two adopted children who was in Singapore a fortnight ago for a red carpet gala premiere with her co-actors Chris Hemsworth, Jessica Chastain and director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan.

That was one of the reasons the 40-year-old reprised her role of the beauty-obsessed Queen Ravenna in the film, which is a prequel to Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). She felt she had the social responsibility as a female herself "to do something authentic and truthful that will resonate with other women".