Charlize Theron Named the 1 ‘Historical Figure’ She Relates To: ‘We Just Drank Whiskey All Night’
Charlize Theron has solidified herself as an action star with films such as The Old Guard, Fast and Furious, and Atomic Blonde where she played tough women. She often dedicates herself to rigorous training routines to prepare for her roles.
In public, she’s a celebrity. But at home, Theron is a mother of two young children and like other parents around the world, found herself homeschooling during quarantine.
However, she also managed to sit for an interview that offered a rare glimpse into her personal life. Though she was nervous, Theron was open about some of the people she admires and identifies with in the world.
Charlize Theron admires her mother the most
For the most part, Charlize Theron stays under the radar about her personal business, but she frequently speaks fondly of her family. Vanity Fair interviewed her for their Proust Questionnaire segment and when asked about who she most admires, she said her mom.
In the past, Theron’s been candid about growing up with an abusive father how her mother shot him in self-defense. During a 2019 interview with NPR’s Terry Gross, she spoke about the ordeal and what it was like growing up in South Africa.
Her father had an alcohol addiction and one night, he came home drunk and started shooting at her and her mother.
Theron’s mom, Gerda Maritz, retrieved a gun and shot back, killing her father. But in the commotion, she told Theron to run to the neighbors. “In that moment, she was being a mother,” she recalled.
Theron also remembered how supportive her mother was when at 16, she won a modeling contest and had the opportunity to travel internationally for the first time in her life.
Theron names Jane Goodall as the ‘historical figure’ she relates to
In the midst of her chat with Vanity Fair, Theron continued to answer probing questions based on Proust. One of the most interesting asked her which historical figure she identifies with, and Theron named someone who is still living: Jane Goodall.
“I got to camp with her in the Congo with her chimps. And we just popped up tents, and we made a fire, and then we drank whiskey all night. She just told me stories until three in the morning,” said Theron. “It was really, really special.”
But Theron wouldn’t play the activist in a movie
As one of the most recognized figures in the realm of conservation and wildlife advocacy, Jane Goodall has had an adventurous life. Still, Theron wouldn’t even consider playing her in a biopic.
“I’m sure there’s tons of better people who could do that. But she’s a magical human. She’s one of those people that you meet, and you just go ‘Wow.’” Theron said.
Though she doesn’t want to play the activist on screen, Theron has her own projects in motion through the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project. The organization works in the areas of HIV prevention programs and providing youth empowerment support.
As far as entertainment, Theron’s next film productions include Atomic Blonde 2, Two Eyes Staring, and a sequel to her hit Netflix movie, The Old Guard.
