As a literal child, Holly viewed her mother shoot her abusive father in a defensive struggle and this life experience would change her forever.
Battling many difficulties, she eventually found her way to Hollywood, succeeded in her career and won the highest possible honor — an Academy Award.
Something beyond imagination
There are many stars in Hollywood who struggled from nothing and proved to everyone that they could succeed. Almost nobody from the top began with luck or special privileges; many made it there through sheer persistence alone.
Charlize Theron was always meant for more than just being a pretty actress. Women like her were seen by Hollywood as mere eye candy, quiet and easy to replace. She never gave in to that kind of manipulation. She had dealt with more challenges than many people in her place would expect.
South African-American actress Charlize Theron is recognized as one of the wealthiest stars in Hollywood. Having won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a place in Time‘s list of top people, her success is enviable for most.
Until the fame and money came, her life was changed by a tragic event.
Charlize Theron entered the world on August 7, 1975, in the South African town of Benoni to prominent Afrikaner parents. Among her ancestors were settlers from the Netherlands, France and Germany and her French roots came from the early French Huguenots in South Africa.
Charles Theron and Gerda Maritz, her parents, were workers in road construction, but she is also descended from Danie Theron, a celebrated military leader during the Second Boer War.
English may be her main language now, but she was born and raised with Afrikaans. Even though she later found success in Hollywood, Grace grew up facing both wealth and major life challenges in South Africa.
The reasons behind being bullied at school
Growing up, Charlize Theron didn’t fit in well, especially with the boys.
Because I was completely blind and still wore nerdy glasses, the boys weren’t very fond of me, she said in her interview with PEOPLE. I didn’t date much, but I had many crushes instead.
A boy ignored her, so she tried to do anything she could to be part of the popular group.
I didn’t belong to the popular crowd. A very popular girl at school caught my attention and I loved her so much. Things like that would send you to jail if they happened nowadays, Theron says with a chuckle. I once cried because I needed to sit next to her and it wasn’t possible.
She also wasn’t helped by her classmates, who teased her because of her glasses, messy hair and ill-fitting clothes.
I went through a lot of mean girl situations between ages 7 and 12. It’s fair to say, I was a bit of a mess during my time in primary school. I had done that by the time I was in high school and no longer got caught up in all that.
Her father was an abusive alcoholic.
Even though Charlize Theron grew up on her parents’ farm near Johannesburg, what happened one night changed the course of her life.
On June 21, 1991, her violent alcoholic father was drunk when he arrived home. It was even more difficult this time around. Hearing about Charles’ agitated mood, an aunt phoned the family for help.
Theron said that, as a 15-year-old, she experienced a strong sense of unease.
Instinct is something you receive from nature. It became very clear to me that some ill fate was approaching.
Whenever her father arrived home, he would come in angry and threaten Charlize’s mother, later turning his anger into violence. Then, he got a gun.
”Mom and I had climbed onto my bedroom door because my dad was trying to force his way in,” she told NPR.
We were both resting against the door from inside, trying not to let him pass. Taking a step back, he fired three blasts through the door.
Miraculously, none of the bullets harmed us as we were standing very close to the scene.
As she was being shot, Gerda had no other choice. She grabbed her handgun, pointed it at her husband and fired. It was how I stayed alive.
The court saw Gerda’s actions as self-defense, so she was not charged, but Charlize would never fully forget that night.
Skinny limbs with a big stomach
Charlize recalled her father’s tall frame, the skinny legs and the full belly; even though he loved being serious, he always had a very joyful side.
Still, she admitted that he battled alcoholism.
“My father was very tall, with skinny legs and a big belly,” Theron remembered. He was serious sometimes but he knew how to laugh and loved being alive. He himself had an illness. Drinking alcohol became his main weakness in life.
Though he didn’t strike her, she explained that he would hurt her with his words.
Of course, the event in 1991 left her completely shaken. It remained with the Oscar-winner, who later shared his thoughts.
Many people have experienced family violence in the same way I have.
“I’m not embarrassed to bring it up, because if we keep discussing these matters, we see that everyone is going through the same thing,” she continued. For me, it’s always felt that the story is about navigating adolescence alongside addicts and how that affects a person.
Her experiences made her stronger and pushed her to achieve so much.
I managed to survive and I’m happy about it. I have put in a lot of effort for that as well,” Theron replied to The New York Times. But I am not afraid it will hurt me. Being in the dark does not scare me. I am drawn to it since I believe it helps us understand who we are as people better.”
The process by which Hollywood noticed her fame
After the shooting, Theron says things became more difficult for her. That was what my childhood consisted of. She acknowledged, “It was all of that,” and explained that the outcome was even more chilling than what took place.
Charlize Theron came to Los Angeles at age 19 with only her belongings and strong determination. With no backing and just the determination to succeed, she went ahead and trained. On one occasion, while debating a bounced check with a bank teller, the talent agent happened to notice. While that meeting let Charlize into Hollywood, she understood that every chance needed to be pursued with hard work.
The Devil’s Advocate (1997) was where her fame really started, as she was featured with Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves. Hollywood started noticing the new trend. Still, her strongest impact on everyone happened in 2003. For Chloe, she gained a lot of weight and removed all traces of Hollywood glitz to become the serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Because of her remarkable performance, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress.
She had achieved what she wanted, but she wasn’t ready to stay where she was.
Has starred as different killers in several movies
She kept opening new doors, appearing in films that were action, dramatic or comedic. Not only did she act, but she also worked behind the scenes as a producer and spoke out for more great roles for women in the industry.
As she approached 40, in 2015, Hollywood usually sideline actresses, but Charlize managed to redefine herself again that year. She became famous as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, making her name as an actress and also solidifying her role as a strong warrior in Hollywood.
With such a wholesome background, it may seem unexpected that Theron acted as the deadly Aileen Wuornos in Monster.
In 2002, Aileen Wuornos, who had previously been a prostitute and killed six men (not tried for killing a seventh man), was executed in Florida. She then became the focus of Monster.
The film critic Roger Ebert praised Charlize Theron’s act as “one of the biggest cinematic achievements of our time.”
“Oftentimes, people like Aileen Wuornos are simply looked down on and no one tries to understand them more deeply,” Theron explained to The New York Times. Nobody ever asks, ‘What caused this to happen?’ I am curious about the reasons behind things. A large part of me being here today is due to the way that question made me think.
