Charlize: My Debt To Killer Mum
Oscar-winner Charlize Theron says she owes her success to one woman… the mum she watched kill her violent father.
The actress was 15 when mum Gerda shot her drunk and abusive dad in self-defence on their South African farm.
Charlize, 32, left home shortly afterwards, eventually making it to Hollywood, and Gerda made a success of the family haulage firm.
In a magazine interview Charlize reveals: “The greatest gift mum ever gave me was watching her put on her high heels and power suit and going into a business meeting with eight guys and running the show.
“I thought, ‘I want to be like that!’ My mother inspired me, but I don’t think she set out to do that – it was just the way she lived her life and the way she encouraged me to live mine.”
Charlize co-stars with Will Smith in the current blockbuster Hancock