The Charlize Theron we know today is an award-winning silver screen starlet who graces red carpets and film premieres with elegance and undeniable talent – but life wasn’t always so perfect for the 44-year-old actress.
In a recent interview with NPR, Theron recounted the details of her childhood growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, including the moment her mother killed her abusive father in self-defence.
“My father was a very sick man. My father was an alcoholic all my life,” she said. “I only knew him one way, and that was an alcoholic…it was a pretty hopeless situation.”
“My father was so drunk that he shouldn’t have been able to walk when he came into the house with a gun,” Theron recounted. “My mum and I were in my bedroom leaning against the door, because he was trying to push through the door. So both of us were leaning against the door from the inside and have him not be able to push through. He took a step back and just shot through the door three times.”
“None of those bullets ever hit us, which is just a miracle. But in self-defence, she ended the threat.”
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Theron explained that she’s “not ashamed” to talk about the family violence she experienced. “I do think that the more we talk about these things, the more we realise we are not alone in any of it. I think, for me, it’s just always been that this story really is about growing up with addicts and what that does to a person.”
During Theron’s interview with NPR, the actress also spoke about understanding the white privilege she experienced growing up in South Africa, her decision to adopt as a single parent and confronting the director who sexually harassed her in the ‘90s.
Charlize Theron is a strong, inspirational and incredibly talented woman and she deserves so much respect for using her story to empower others.
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