Charlize Theron had her big break alongside Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino in the 1997 film The Devil’s Advocate. She has since become one of the highly acclaimed actresses in Hollywood and has even won an Oscar for her performance in the biographical crime drama Monster. The 48-year-old actress has come a long way since she made her on-screen debut with a non-speaking role in Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest.

Charlize Theron in The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

However, the status of being one of the highest-paid actresses did not come easily to her. And her struggle to make it big in the glam city also included learning a new language. The actress opened up about how she learned English and adopted her American accent during a conversation with the talk show host Conan O’Brien.

Charlize Theron Learned English From American TV Shows

Bron in Benoni, South Africa, Charlize Theron’s first language is Afrikaans, and she started learning her second language, English, after she started modeling. The Mad Max actress has shared that she properly learned the language after moving to the USA.

Hollywood star Charlize Theron

And she did it by watching American TV shows. During a conversation with Conan O’Brien, Theron shared that she was told it would be hard for her to get jobs if she did not lose her accent. Theron could not afford a dialect coach at the time, so she took the help of TV shows to learn the language and the accent.

“Back then, you know, I had about 5 bucks a day and I couldn’t afford a dialect coach. So, I would watch television, American Television 24/7.”

Charlize Theron with Conan O’Brien

The Bombshell actress further shared that she watched almost every TV show at the time, including Dynasty, Dallas, and The Love Boat, which helped her to take a step toward becoming one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood.

Charlize Theron’s Controversial Thoughts About Afrikaans

Afrikaans is Charlize Theron’s native language, and she has shared that she still speaks the language. However, she once got in trouble after her controversial statements about her native language. During an appearance on the SmartLess podcast, The Old Guard actress shared that she grew up speaking only Afrikaans.

Charlize Theron

However, she also claimed that about 44 people still speak the language.“It’s definitely a dying language. It’s not a very helpful language,” she said on the podcast. Her statement about the language sparked social media backlash. However, reports claimed that the actress meant it as a joke.

The actress has also claimed that she loves her country. However, she believes that South Africans have a hard time believing that due to her American accent. She also said that she has been trying to win her country’s love back.