In a recent, chilling interview, Charlize Theron opened up about what it was like growing up and living with an alcoholic father, which ultimately resulted in her mother killing him in self-defense.
Charlize Theron has always been transparent about the tragic evening of her childhood when her mother was forced to kill her father in self-defense.
But in a more recent interview, she really opened up retelling the story.
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She explained that she was just 15-years-old the night her father, in a drunken rage, fired bullets into the room where she and her mother were hiding.
At the time, her family was living on a farm outside of Johannesburg, South Africa.
She detailed her father as a “very sick man” and explained that living with an addict of that caliber was a “pretty hopeless situation.”
And worse yet, something that sticks with you for the rest of your life.
She admitted that her father’s incalculable behavior on a day-to-day basis was as traumatizing as the incident itself.
“The day-to-day unpredictability of living with an addict is the thing that you sit with,” she said .
“Kind of embedded in your body for the rest of your life,” she added.
“More than just this one event of what happened one night,” she explained.
She recalled that her father was so drunk the night of the incident that he “shouldn’t have been able to walk when he came into the house with a gun.”
“My mom 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 to have him not be able to push through,” she delineated.
“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-defense, she ended the threat.”
She revealed that she isn’t embarrassed to tell this story because it opens up a line of communication for others who have been through something similar.
“I’m not ashamed to talk about it,” Charlize explained.
“I do think that the more we talk about these things, the more we realize 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.”
While on the topic of speaking up, she also opened up about a time she was touched inappropriately by a film director.
She explained that the director of the film invited her to an audition at his home and she obliged.
Unfortunately, she holds herself somewhat accountable for what happened and feels like had she made slightly different choices, things may have gone differently.
“I put a lot of blame on myself… that I didn’t say all the right things.”
“And that I didn’t tell him to take a hike,” she said .
“That I didn’t do all of those things that we so want to believe we’ll do in those situations.”
“It’s not always physical assault. It’s not always rape,” she said , comparing her experience to a theme in her latest film, Bombshell .
“There’s a psychological damage that happens for women in the everyday casualness of language, touch or threat of losing your job.”
“Those are things I’ve definitely encountered,” she concluded .
“Bombshell”, which also features Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, and Kate McKinnon, was just released in theaters on December 13th.
I think it’s safe to say the people are loving it.
Bombshell has already been nominated for four SAG awards, so be sure to grab your tickets ASAP!
