Charlize Theron has spoken openly about the moment her mother shot and killed her father in self-defence when she was 15 years old. The Oscar-winning actress recounted the incident in an interview with NPR, describing how her alcoholic father fired three shots through the bedroom door where she and her mother were hiding.
“None of those bullets ever hit us, which is just a miracle. But in self-defence, she ended the threat,” Theron said. She described her father as a “very sick man” and said living with an alcoholic was a “pretty hopeless situation”. The actress emphasised that the daily unpredictability of addiction had a lasting impact on her, more than the single violent event.
Theron also discussed an incident early in her career when a film director inappropriately touched her during a home audition. She recalled apologising to him before leaving, which later made her angry with herself. “I put a lot of blame on myself... that I didn't tell him to take a hike,” she said.
The actress stars in the new film Bombshell, which explores the sexual harassment scandal at Fox News involving former CEO Roger Ailes. Theron said the film addresses the “grey area of sexual harassment”, including psychological damage from casual language, unwanted touch, and threats to one’s job.
