'I just knew something bad was going to happen': Charlize Theron on the night that changed her life
Oscar-winning actor Charlize Theron is opening up about one of the most traumatic moments of her childhood, the night her father was shot and killed by her mother in self-defense. In a recent interview with The New York Times Magazine, the star reflected on the 1991 incident, which took place in South Africa when she was just 15. Despite the intensity of that night, Theron shared that she is no longer “haunted” by the experience. (Image: Instagram)Recalling the events that led up to it, Theron said her father, Charles Theron, had been drinking with his brother when she briefly entered the house without greeting them. “I had to pee really badly. So I ran into the house to get to the toilet, and he took that as me being rude, because I didn’t stop and say hello to everybody,” she said. “Big thing in South Africa, the kind of respect that you have to have for elders. And he was in a state where he just spiraled. Like: ‘Why didn’t you stop? Who do you think you are?’ ” (Image: Instagram)After the confrontation, Theron and her mother, Gerda, returned home. Sensing escalating tension, the actress recalled telling her mother, “I think you should separate from him,” noting that this was not an isolated incident. “Leaving that house, I knew something was just different. She knew it, too,” she said. Later that night, Theron tried to avoid another confrontation by asking her mother to say she was asleep when her father came home. “I went into my room, I turned my lights off, and I was scared,” she said. “My window faced the driveway, and I could tell the level of anger, frustration or unhappiness by the way he drove in. The way that he drove into that property that night, I can’t explain it to you. I just knew something bad was going to happen.” (Image: Instagram)Her fears soon became reality. According to Theron, her father arrived and began shooting through the steel doors of their home. “He shot through the steel doors to get in, making it very clear that he was going to kill us. His brother was with him as well,” she said. “We knew it was serious, and so by the time he broke into the first gate, my mom ran to the safe to get her gun. She came into my bedroom. The two of us were holding the door with our bodies because there wasn’t a lock on it. And he just stepped back and started shooting through the door.” “And this is the crazy thing: Not one bullet hit us,” she added. “It’s insane when you think about it that way. But the messaging was very clear. I’m going to kill you tonight. You think I can’t come into this door? Watch me. I’m going to go to the safe. I’m going to get the shotgun.” (Image: Instagram)Theron went on to describe how her mother acted in self-defense as the situation escalated. “He walked to the safe, and my mom pulled the door open while the brother was still standing there,” she said. “The brother ran down the hallway, and she shot one bullet down the hallway that ricocheted seven times and shot him in the hand. It’s stuff you can’t explain. And then she followed my father, who was by then opening the safe to get more weapons out, and she shot him.” (Image: Instagram)Over the years, Theron has chosen to speak openly about the incident, not just as part of her own healing, but to support others. “Unfortunately, this is not an isolated story,” she said. “These things are prevalent in a lot of homes. Women really get a very, very unfair shake, even in this country. Nobody takes it seriously, the situation that they’re in. And I don’t think anybody took my mom seriously.” (Image: Instagram)She added that sharing her story is important in helping others feel less alone. “I think these things should be talked about because it makes other people not feel alone,” Theron said. “I never knew about a story like that. When this happened to us, I thought we were the only people. I’m not haunted by this stuff anymore.” Today, Theron continues to advocate for survivors of domestic violence and has worked with global organisations to raise awareness and support those in need. (Image: Instagram)
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