Over the years, Charlize Theron has proved that she is more than just a pretty face in Hollywood. Having bagged the Oscar for her unforgettable performance in Monster, the South African star’s filmography boasts of films in various genres in which she has impressed audiences with her acting skills in front of the camera.
Despite being a high profile celebrity, Theron has managed to keep her private life away from the limelight. This includes her two adopted daughters whom she has raised as a single parent along with the help of her mother. In an interview, The Devil’s Advocate star showed that she was as human as every other mother when she lightheartedly spoke about the challenges of raising children.
Charlize Theron Knows How Tough It Is To Be a Mom
The balance of being a celebrity in the public eye and leading a private life is a difficult juggling act which Charlize Theron has managed to achieve. Apart from being a massive Hollywood superstar, the Oscar winner is also a mother of two daughters, Jackson whom she adopted in 2012, and August, later in 2015.
In an interview with People, the celebrity revealed the impact her South African upbringing had on her decision to adopt children. Having grown up seeing kids in orphanages looking for a loving home, the actor believed that this was her calling in life, and wanted her life partner to share these thoughts as well.
Theron who has kept her children away from the limelight for the most part, was recently seen at the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) 2024, where she also addressed parenting and the challenges she faced while raising her kids. Through her interview with E! News, the Monster star proved that she was as normal and vulnerable as any other mother when it came to parenting.
Oh, my god, they’re so embarrassed by me constantly. They’re kids, they’re girls, you know? I have a preteen and I feel like I have a nine year old who thinks she’s a 13-year-old. It’s a lot of girl in our house.I’m just trying to keep my head above water, because they are smart and they are witty and they are firecrackers, but they do not go, ‘Oh my god, Mom, you’re so amazing.’ They’re like, ‘Excuse me, I need. I want’.
Through her next lighthearted confession that was as honest and sincere as you could get, she perfectly echoed the sentiments of all mothers in the world who were is this tough, but rewarding roller coaster ride called parenting.
They are a**holes, but they’re really nice. Other parents know what I’m talking about.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and for a single parent like Theron, this village was her mother Gerda Maritz whom she was revealed, was her backbone in her being able to raise two kids (via Elle), and was instrumental in allowing her to have a demanding career as well.
Theron has dated many people over the years, but none of these relationships have culminated into marriage. The star’s longest relationship was with Stuart Townsend which lasted almost 10 years. She has also dated Sean Penn between 2013 and 2015 and Alexander Skarsgård for a brief period after that.
Charlize Theron Revealed S*xual Harassment Experience As a Teen Star
Long before facing challenges as a parent to two daughters, Charlize Theron had to navigate a tough period in Hollywood when she was just breaking through as a teenager. During this time, the actor had to endure s*xual harrassment while trying to land a gig.
In an interview during the promotion of her film Long Shot in 2019, Theron revealed disturbing details of her harrowing experience in the hands of a Hollywood producer as a young and upcoming star in Hollywood. Theron who was then around 19 years old, was asked to go to the producer’s house at night to secure an audition for a part.
The Old Guard actor’s alarm bells immediately went off as soon as she entered the house as the producer who was in his pajamas, made her feel uncomfortable straightaway by sitting very close to her with a drink. But it was his next move that confirmed to Theron that she was courting trouble. Recalling the incident in The Howard Stern Show, the Oscar winner said,
And then at one point, he put his hand on my knee. You just go blank. Like you don’t know what to do, but I left. I don’t even know how I got out of the house, but I left. It would have ended really badly. I was like, I’m not that kind of girl. Why did I not tell him to go f**k himself? It made me so angry.
Despite blaming herself for not reacting more aggressively towards her perpetrator, Theron used this incident as a learning experience to always stand up for herself and for other women in the entertainment industry who faced similar situations of abuse from men.
