South African actress Charlize Theron has built a career admired in Hollywood for her papers of complex and resilient women.
But behind that force is hidden one of the most traumatic experiences that can be imagined: the murder of her father at the hands of her mother, when she was only 15 years old. A fact that marked his life forever, and of which “he does not feel ashamed.”
Over time, the artist has been frank with this painful experience to attract attention around domestic violence and the consequences of alcoholism.
It was June 1991 and Charlize lived with his parents on a farm on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa.
That night, his parent, Charles Theronhe returned home in drunk, as so many times before. But this time, the situation became extremely violent.
“My father was so drunk that he shouldn’t have been walking when he entered the house with a gun,” Theron said in an interview with NPR in 2019.
“My mother and I were in my bedroom, leaning against the door because he tried to enter. He retreated one step and shot three times through the door. None of the bullets reached us, which is a miracle”He told the program.
It was then when Gerda Theronhis mother, made a desperate decision: he killed Charles with a shot to protect herself and her teenage daughter.
The fact was judged as legitimate defense, and no charges were filed against him.
Although that episode marked a before and after, Charlize has recognized that the real trauma was not only that night, but everyday life with a drunk father.
“My father was a very sick man. He was alcoholic all my life. I only met him in one way: as an alcoholic,” he told Fresh Air de NPR.
In a previous appearance in the Howard Stern Show In 2017, Theron explained that for years he avoided talking about the subject. “I just pretended that it had not happened. I didn’t tell anyone. He said my father died in a car accident. Who would like to tell that story? ”He confessed.
With the passage of time, he chose to be sincere with himself and to help other people who have lived something similar. “I am not ashamed to talk about it, because I think that the more we talk about these things, the more we realize that we are not alone.”he explained in 2019.
In the midst of that darkness, Gerda Theron emerged as a strength figure for her daughter.
“I have an incredible mother … it is a great inspiration in my life,” The actress said PEOPLE In 2018.
Although Gerda never attended therapy, he knew how to guide his daughter with a clear philosophy to leave behind what has lived: “This was horrible. He acknowledges that this was horrible. Now he makes a decision. Is this going to define you? Are you going to sink or are you going to swim?”.
That approach formed Charlize’s character. “She made me brave and always told me to be. I don’t know who could have been without that”the actress added.
Today, mother and daughter maintain a deeply close link. “Some people say our relationship is unhealthy,” Theron joked in The Hollywood Reporter (2022). “But I tell you: ‘If you can be as fun as she, then I will spend time with you’”.
The experience lived not only left personal marks, but also a strong social commitment. Through its foundation Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, The actress worked on campaigns to combat gender violenceespecially because of the increase in cases during pandemic.
In collaboration with other organizations, he promoted the initiative #TogetherForHer to provide support to women in a situation of violence worldwide.
Consulted by Town & Country In 2023 about whether that tragic night was the trigger for his activism, he replied: “It is an easy correlation to do, but I think it is much more complex than having a single night of trauma in your life… the daily unpredictability of living with an addict is what stays with you, more than that only event. ”
Mother of two adoptive daughters, Jackson and August, Charlize Theron has brought their values to parenting. “My job as a mother is to teach them to accept what they are not, what is different, and love that, not be afraid,” he said in the program Untucked of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“We live in a time when our words can be easily used against us. I am worried about what we can do as people, and how powerful it is when you love and how destructive it is when you hate.”
