In a rare interview, Charlize Theron recalls the terrifying night her mother shot her drunken, armed father before her eyes.
The 48-year-old actress was just 15 years old when her father Charles Theron burst into the family’s home near Johannesburg, South Africa and shot several times through a bedroom door while the actress and her mother Gerda stood on the other side.
Gerda grabbed her own gun, opened fire in retaliation, killing her husband in front of her traumatized teenage daughter.
Charlize is on the cover of City & Country November 2023 Tenth annual issue of philanthropy, detailing how the moment changed forever.
When asked if the poignant moment inspired her to commit herself to the fight against violence against women, the Hollywood star said: “I would say this: it’s an easy correlation to make.
Harrowing: Charlize Theron recalls the terrifying night her mother shot and killed her drunken father in front of her eyes in a rare interview
Heartbreaking: Charlize is on the cover of Town & Country’s November 2023 10th annual Philanthropy issue and details how the moment changed forever
Tragedy: The actress, 48, was just 15 years old when her father Charles Theron was murdered by his desperate mother who shot him after he started firing bullets at the bathroom door
“But I think it’s much more complicated than just one night of trauma in your life.
“With or without that, gender-based violence is a real threat in South Africa and globally. It’s hard not to be aware of these things just because you’re a woman.”
After an investigation, it was legally determined that the 1991 shooting was self-defense, and her mother was not charged.
Charlize adds that she grew up in South Africa at a time when the country was under apartheid and the devastating effects of AIDS were having on the community.
“I was about ten years old and the people around me were terrified and terrified. We now know it was HIV and AIDS, but not many people had that information at the time.
‘It has left an impression on me from an early age that is always difficult to shake.’
‘Growing up in a country under apartheid and getting AIDS. Those things really scarred me. I would almost like to say more than just that one night in my life.’
After founding the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Program in 2007, Charlize launched the #TogetherForHer initiative to combat pandemic-era violence in Africa and globally, with the actress donating half a million dollars to get the project off the ground.
Difficult childhood: Charlize said: ‘I think it’s much more complicated than just one night of trauma in your life’
Beautiful: Charlize cut an effortlessly understated figure for the shoot. On the front, she wore a sheer black Dior blouse, $21,100 Dior earrings and black Nili Lortan pants
Candid: Charlize pictured with mother Gerda at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24, 2019 in Beverly Hills
Full story: Read in Town & Country’s Tenth Annual Philanthropy November 2023 issue
“People were asked to stay home with their abusers. There was a femicide in South Africa, and no one really talked about it.”
Before the shoot, Charlize cut an effortlessly demure figure. On the front, she wore a sheer black Dior blouse, $21,100 Dior earrings and black Nili Lortan pants.
The actress also looked stunning in a $2,350 gray Fendi sweater and matching $2,250 skirt.
Charlize previously spoke about the harrowing moment her father was shot in front of her eyes in a desperate act of self-defense.
”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,” she explained.
This domestic violence, this kind of violence that happens within the family, is something that I share with a lot of people,” she said.
“I think the more we talk about these things, the more we realize we’re not alone in this. I think for me it’s always been the case that this story is really about growing up with addicts and what that does to a person.’
Charlize also confessed that she experienced family dynamics as a “hopeless situation” as a young person.
“I think our family was incredibly unhealthy. And I think all of this has scarred us in a way. Of course I wish what happened that night would never have happened. Unfortunately, that’s what happens when you don’t get to the heart of these problems.’
In the past, Charlize has credited her mother with helping shape her into a strong and courageous woman.
Read the full story in the November 2023 issue of Town & Country’s 10th annual Philanthropy, out now.
