BERLIN (Reuters) - Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron hopes to even the playing field in the male-dominated spy film genre with her latest role as a deadly agent in action-thriller Atomic Blonde.

"I saw potential in this character," Theron, 41, said at the Berlin premiere on Monday.

"I wanted to explore a woman in this world and have her kind of play with the same set of rules that men get to play in," added the actress.

She won an Academy Award for her role as a serial killer in 2003 film Monster.

Spy movies, such as the James Bond, Mission Impossible and Bourne franchises, have been dominated by male leads.

Theron, who shows off her physical fighting prowess in the role, said "the skill of this was definitely a challenge. I wanted people to believe that she was that good".