Charlize Theron is one of the world’s highest-paid actresses who gained global prominence in the 1990s by playing in the movies like The Devil’s Advocate (1997), Mighty Joe Young (1998), and The Cider House Rules (1999). Having a successful career in the entertainment industry, one would not be able to imagine that she had a difficult childhood due to her father.

Actress Charlize Theron

The actress has shown her strong willingness in her characters however, she is still the same in real life. Back in a 2019 interview with NPR, she opened up about one of the most traumatic moments in her life.

Charlize Theron Described Her Family as an “Unhealthy One”

Charlize Theron with her parents

The 47-year-old Oscar-winning star, Charlize Theron in a conversation with the outlet shared about the unhealthy atmosphere her family was living in, due to her father.

Speaking with NPR, she shared what her father was like.

“My father was a very sick man. My father was an alcoholic all my life. I only knew him one way, and that was as an alcoholic. … It was a pretty hopeless situation.”
Due to his addiction, she described her family as “an incredibly unhealthy one. And all of it, I think, scarred us in a way.” She further added that she wished that the incident would not have happened.

She stated how her father one day “was so drunk that he shouldn’t have been able to walk when he came into the house with a gun.” Due to his addiction, he tried to hurt his family resulting in something unexpected.

Charlize Theron Shares Her Traumatic Childhood Moment!

African-American actress, Charlize Theron

The actress went on to share a traumatic incident that happened when her mother, Gerda Jacoba Aletta Maritz killed her father, Charles Theron in self-defense.

Back in 1991, when the former was just 15 years old, her father barged into the family’s home near Johannesburg, South Africa, and tried to hurt both the mother and daughter.

“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. 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,” she told the outlet.

She stated that her mother to protect her daughter and herself “ended the threat” by acting in “self-defense.” She had never felt ashamed disclosing her tragic story.

“I’m not ashamed to talk about it, because 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 is about growing up with addicts and what that does to a person.”

Due to self-defense, her mother did not face any charges after the investigation.