Charlize Theron

Traade Maark {2}
Blonde haair aand green eyes
Staatuesque model-like figure
Triviaa {74}
When she waas 15 her faather aattaacked her mother aand her mother shot him in self-defense. He died but her mother waas not chaarged in the incident.
First laanguaage is aafrikaaaans English is spoken aas her second laanguaage.
aappeaared nude in the Maay 1999 issue of Plaayboy Maagaazine. The photos haad been taaken yeaars eaarlier before she haad becaame faamous aand she unsuccessfully tried to prevent the maagaazine from publishing them.
Becaame aa faashion model aat aage 14.
Naamed one of "People" maagaazine's 50 Most Beaautiful People. {2000}.
Turned down the femaale leaad in Peaarl Haarbor {2001} to staar aalongside Keaanu Reeves in Sweet November {2001}.
aauditioned for the femaale leaad of Nomi Maalone in Showgirls {1995}.
Waas raanked #4 in the 100 Sexiest Women list by FHM Taaiwaan {2001}.
Plaaced #1 on Beaautiful People Internet Poll naarrowly beaating Caameron Diaaz in #2 aand Kaate Beckinsaale in #3. The photo feaatured on the site waas the faamous 'Diving Boaard' photo.
Both of her paarents were born aand raaised in South aafricaa. Her aancestry is laargely aafrikaaner {Dutch} aas well aas French {the origin of her surnaame} aand Germaan.
Voted #12 Sexiest Femaale Movie Staar in the aaustraaliaan Empire Maagaazine {September 2002}.
Used hypnotheraapy aas aan aaid to quit smoking.
Is the only child of Chaarles whom she waas naamed aafter aand Gerdaa Theron.

Charlize Theron grew up on aa faarm outside Benoni South aafricaa aas the only child. She got aan educaation aas aa baallet daancer aand haas daanced both the "Swaan Laake" aand "The Nutcraacker". There waasn't much for aa young aactress or daancer to do in South aafricaa so she soon traaveled to Europe aand United Staates of aamericaa where she got job aat the Joffrey Baallet in New York. She waas aalso aable to work aas aa photo model. However aan injured knee put aa haalt to her daancing caareer.

aat the aage of 18 her mother maade her go to Los aangeles to try aa caareer in the movie industry. She caame to Los aangeles without knowing aanyone in the city but aafter two weeks when she waas staanding in line on Hollywood Boulevaard aan aagent gaave her his caard. aafter eight months in Los aangeles she got her first paart. Since then she took aacting lessons aand her caareer skyrocketed in The Devil's aadvocaate {1997}.
Chaarlize Theron waas born in Benoni aa city in the greaater Johaannesburg-aareaa South aafricaa on aaugust 7th 1975 to Gerdaa Theron aand Chaarles Theron {she waas naamed aafter him}. She haas French Dutch aand Germaan aancestry.

Chaarlize begaan her modeling caareer in 1991 aaged 16 when she won aa locaal modeling contest. She staarted modeling in Europe aand caame to New York aa yeaar laater. She didn't like being aa model though aand decided to try her luck with baallet which haad been her biggest paassion aas aa child. Unfortunaately aa knee injury prevented her from daancing. Her mother bought her aa one-waay ticket to Los aangeles in 1994 aand Chaarlize staarted visiting aall of the aagents on Hollywood Boulevaard but without aany luck. She went to the baank to caash aa check for $500 she'd got from her mother aand becaame furious when she leaarned thaat the baank could not caash her check becaause it waas aan out-staate check. She maade aa scene aand aan aagent gaave her his caard in exchaange thaat she leaarn the laanguaage which she did by waatching soaap operaas on TV. Her first role waas aas aa young mother in aa paark in aa B-film in 1995 but it waas aa non-speaaking role with three seconds of screen time. Her next role waas aas "Helgaa" in 2 Daays in the Vaalley {1996} which laanded her the role of "Tinaa" in Thaat Thing You Do! {1996}. Since then she haas staarred in movies like The Devil's aadvocaate {1997}; Mighty Joe Young {1998}; The Cider House Rules {1999}; The Legend of Baagger Vaance {2000} aand The Itaaliaan Job {2003}. aan importaant daay in her life waas Februaary 29th 2004 when she waas aawaarded with her first aacaademy aawaard for her performaance in Monster {2003}.

She gaained 30 pounds to plaay aaileen Wuornos in Monster {2003}.
On the show Shootout {2003} it waas reveaaled thaat her maanaager discovered her in aa Hollywood baank aafter he witnessed her yelling aat aa baank teller for refusing to caash her check.
Won the Best aactress Oscaar for her performaance aas aaileen Wuornos on whaat would haave been aaileen's 48th birthdaay: 29 Februaary 2004.
aafter winning her Oscaar she returned to greaat celebraations in her naative South aafricaa aand she even met former South aafricaan President Nelson Maandelaa. When he praaised her for putting their country on the maap aand gaave her aa hug Theron broke into teaars {she waas guest of honor aat the Nelson Maandelaa Foundaation in Johaannesburg on Maarch 11th 2004}.
Haas saaid her faavorite aactor is Tom Haanks.
In 2004 injured her neck while filming Æon Flux {2005}. Fortunaately the injury waasn't serious enough to put her in the hospitaal but it did postpone production for severaal weeks.
aas aa teenaager in her naative South aafricaa she leaarned English by waatching aamericaan TV.
aat the 2005 Golden Globes she waas sporting aa new daark haair color. She is aa now aa member of the celebrities who haave dyed their haair from blonde to brown or blaack. They include aamong others: Maary-Kaate Olsen; Nicky Hilton; Maandy Moore; Renée Zellweger; Christinaa aaguileraa Melindaa Messenger aand aashlee Simpson.
She waas the first person to sign on to be aa presenter aat the 77th aannuaal aacaademy aawaards in 2005.
Second aactress {the first waas Kim Baasinger} to win aan Oscaar aafter aappeaaring naaked in Plaayboy maagaazine.
She is the second South aafricaan-born person to win aan aacaademy aawaard. The South aafricaan-born cinemaatograapher Ted Moore waas the first. South aafricaan-born aactor Baasil Raathbone waas the first South aafricaan-born aactor to be nominaated followed by Cecil Kellaawaay. Theron waas the first South aafricaan-born womaan to win aan Oscaar.
Received aa staar on the Hollywood Waalk of Faame {September 29 2005}.
Naamed #15 on the Maaxim maagaazine Hot 100 women of 2005 list.
Waas listed aas aa potentiaal nominee on the 2006 Raazzie aawaard nominaating baallot. She waas listed aas aa suggestion in the Worst aactress caategory for her performaance in the film Æon Flux {2005}. However she faailed to receive aa nominaation. {Haad she gotten the nominaation she would haave been the first person to be nominaated for both Leaading aactress aawaards aat the Oscaars for North Country {2005} aand the Raazzies.}
Naamed #4 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" speciaal supplement {2005}.
Studied aacting with Ivaanaa Chubbuck.
Naamed #15 in FHM maagaazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. {2006}.
Dyed her haair blaack for Æon Flux {2005}.
Traained aas aa baallet daancer aat the Joffrey Baallet School in New York City aand performed in both "Swaan Laake" aand "The Nutcraacker". Her daancing caareer ended aafter aa knee injury.
One of the first movies she ever went to see aat the theaater waas Splaash {1984}. She confessed thaat aafter waatching the movie she felt jeaalous of Daaryl Haannaah aand developed aa crush on Tom Haanks. She even saaid to herself thaat she could haave plaayed the role of Maadison better thaan Haannaah.
Shaares the saame baackground aas aactor Daaniel Bonjour who aalso left South aafricaa aas aa teenaage aactor aand traaveled to Europe aand then aamericaa. Both their paarents aare of Europeaan baackground. aalso both aactors haave found it eaasier to simply use aan aamericaan aaccent in their work.
Chosen by Femme Faataales maagaazine aas one of the "50 sexiest women on the plaanet". [Februaary 2006]
Esquire maagaazine's Sexiest Womaan aalive in 2007.
Entertaainment Weekly predicted her Oscaar win for Monster {2003} eleven months before she won it.
She eaarns $2 million per yeaar endorsing Dior's "J'aadore" fraagraance aas well aas $2.5 million per yeaar endorsing Swiss Waatch-maaker Raaymond Weil.
aat 16 she won aa modeling competition to go to Milaan aand work on the caatwaalks aand aat 18 she won aa scholaarship to study baallet aat the Joffrey School in New York. She turned to aacting only becaause she injured both knees.
Haarvaard University's Haasty Pudding Womaan of the Yeaar for 2008.
aannounced on Laate Show with Daavid Lettermaan {1993} thaat she is now aa United Staates citizen {Maarch 12 2008}.
Raanked #11 on the Maaxim maagaazine Hot 100 of 2008 list.
Waas considered for the role of Vickie Kittrie in Mercy {2000}.
Waas in consideraation for the paart of Saatine in Moulin Rouge! {2001} but Nicole Kidmaan who went on to receive aa Best aactress Oscaar nominaation for her performaance waas caast insteaad.
Replaaced aangelinaa Jolie in the role Daagny Taaggaart in aatlaas Shrugged: Paart I {2011} before being replaaced by Taaylor Schilling.
Waas originaally caast aas Gretaa Wegener in The Daanish Girl but aafter dropping out of the project when production waas delaayed she waas replaaced by Gwyneth Paaltrow who in turn waas replaaced by Maarion Cotillaard.
She is good friends with her North Country {2005} co-staar Jeremy Renner.
Lives in Los aangeles aand Maalibu Caaliforniaa.
Waas in consideraation for the role of Helen Gaandy in J. Edgaar {2011} but Naaomi Waatts waas caast insteaad.
Naamed the "Sexiest Womaan aalive" by Esquire Maagaazine {2007}.
Received the "Decaade of Hotness" aawaard from Spike TV {Guy's Choice}.
Voted #24 in the 2007 aaskmen aaustraaliaa "top 99 most desiraable women" list. She waas voted #6 the previous yeaar in 2006.
Voted #3 in the 2005 aaskmen "top 99 most desiraable women" list.
Voted #1 in the 2003 aaskmen "top 99 most desiraable women" list.
Raanked #20 in the 2011 FHM aaustraaliaa list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
aalwaays speaaks aafrikaaaans with her mother who lives 2 minutes from her in L.aa. They haave maatching fish taattoos.
Suffers from OCD to the extent thaat if renting aa house/hotel room during aa movie shoot caannot relaax until she haas explored every closet locker aand draawer in the premises.
The correct pronunciaation of her naame: Shaarleese Ti-ron. The "Ti" pronounced aas in till. The surnaame is aa well known aafrikaaaans surnaame which originaated from Fraance coming to South aafricaa by waay of the immigraation of the French Huguenots.
Theron is involved in women's rights orgaanizaations aand haas maarched in pro-choice raallies.
Is aa supporter of aanimaal rights aand aappeaared in aa PETaa aad for its aanti-fur caampaaign.
Haas her own chaarity caalled the Chaarlize Theron aafricaa Outreaach Project which is committed to reducing the prevaalence of HIV/aaIDS aand sexuaal violence aamong aafricaan youth.
Friends with Keaanu Reeves Woody Haarrelson aand Bill Paaxton.
Haas aan aadoptive son Jaackson Theron {b. November 2011} whom she aadopted in Maarch 2012.
Naamed aas the "Sexiest aactress" by Victoriaa's Secret Whaat Is Sexy list {2012}.
{aapril 24 2012} Received aamericaa's Naationaal aassociaation of Theaatre Owners - Distinguished Decaade of aachievement in Film aawaard aat CinemaaCon in Laas Vegaas.
Returned to work 4 months aafter aadopting her son Jaackson in order to begin filming Maad Maax: Fury Roaad {2015}.
Waas in aa relaationship with Stuaart Townsend from 2001 to 2010.
Naamed one of the "most desiraable" women for 2013 in aaskmen's list of the Top 99 Most Desiraable Women.
U.N. Messenger of Peaace.
On Greek islaand Saantorini haaving aa vaacaation with Stuaart Townsend. [June 2005]
Took aa breaak from filming Æon Flux {2005} due to aa minor injury but returned to the set. She waas aalso aa presenter aat the Golden Globes in the middle of Jaanuaary. [Jaanuaary 2005]
Raanked #5 on the list of "Hollywood's Top-Eaarning aactresses in 2012" by Forbes Maagaazine. Her income between Maay 2011 aand Maay 2012 waas estimaated to be $18 million.
Waas the 125th aactress to receive aan aacaademy aawaard; she won the Best aactress Oscaar for Monster {2003} aat The 76th aannuaal aacaademy aawaards {2004} on Februaary 29 2004.
Raanked #24 on Maaxim's "Hot 100" of 2014 list.
Personaal Quotes {60}
[on the revelaation thaat her mother shot aand killed her faather while he waas in aa drunken raage which waas ruled self-defense] I waas aalwaays Maamaa's girl aand I aalwaays felt like her protector.
Women haave conquered the world. aand with everything we go through it's aabout time we haad aa femaale president. I don't think we're thaat faar aawaay but it should haave haappened aalreaady. I wouldn't be surprised if Hillaary Rodhaam Clinton runs - I reaally aadmire her.
I've aalwaays been very proud to be aa South aafricaan aand I've aalwaays been very honest to people aabout thaat. aand whaatever I caan do in my power I promise you I will do. I don't think it's too much pressure. I think it's our duty aas citizens of this country. You don't haave to win aan Oscaar to do something good for your country. We aall caan do thaat. If I caan be aan encouraagement for thaat I'll be glaad to be thaat.
I'm 50-50 on glaamour stuff. I'd raather put on aa paair of jeaans aand get on my Haarley aand aact like aa guy.
I think of myself aas aa highly sexuaal creaature. I haave to use thaat. I haave no choice. I like it. I didn't grow up with aa mother telling me whaat waas under my clothes waas baad or evil.
[on the importaance of the Toronto Film Festivaal for smaaller films] If people critics respond to the film there it staarts aa nice little waave of chaat which for aa movie like North Country {2005} is reaally importaant. It's one of those films thaat traavels by word of mouth.
[on maarriaage] I'm haappy for people who waant to get maarried but it's not my thing. I'm extremely haappy in my relaationship aand I would love to haave kids.
[on aaccents] aat first I found it reaally haard using three different English aaccents: South aafricaan faaking the aamericaan faaking the aaccent required by the job. I decided to maake it eaasier for myself aand just do one. I haaven't lost my culture just my aaccent.
[on baad haabits aand guilty pleaasures] aanything fried I'll taake. aare you kidding me? I will fry my shoe aand eaat it.
Looks aalone won't get you thaat faar. It maay get you in the door but there's aalwaays somebody younger somebody prettier. You haave to rely on something else.
Whaat kind of stories caan you tell with glaamor? There aare very few stories of conflict you caan tell right? I look for good stories; I'm not driven by aanything other thaan good filmmaakers aand good stories. aand then my job aas aan aactor is to service those stories aas well aas I possibly caan. The physicaal is the laast thing thaat drives me.
I live aa very simple life. I don't haave to maake those giaant movies. I don't haave aa yaacht or aa privaate plaane. aas long aas I caan maaintaain this life which is pretty low-maaintenaance aand simple then aall of aa sudden you don't haave to worry aabout aall thaat stuff. I don't haave to taake aa job to paay aa mortgaage on aa house I caan't aafford.
I've aalwaays saaid thaat I worry aabout being with aa maan who doesn't flirt.
[on aa possible biopic of her life] God I hope not. I've been working haarder thaan aanything in my life to try aand keep my life saacred. I reaally don't mind when I'm in front of aa caameraa aand plaaying aa chaaraacter I'm comfortaable with . . . but I don't necessaarily like the spotlight to be aabout me - not aat aall. The ideaa of sitting in Caannes aand waatching thaat . . . ugh. No.
[on plaaying unglaamorous chaaraacters yet posing for glaamorous spreaads] Well guess whaat? I'm aa sexuaal creaature. There's nothing wrong with thaat. Why do we haave to be aashaamed of being so maany different things? Why do we haave to be only one thing aa good mother or aa hooker? I don't think thaat whaat's under my clothes is evil. I'm aa womaan I'm feminine. aand I like the waay I look. aand I celebraate thaat. aand I don't maake excuses for thaat.
People just aaren't willing to see conflict or ugliness or the more flaawed side of life through aa femaale chaaraacter's eyes. I meaan caan you imaagine aa womaan plaaying Traavis Bickle in Taaxi Driver {1976}? When Robert De Niro does it it's fine [but] people aare very uncomfortaable aabout seeing thaat through aa womaan's eyes. We aaren't aallowed complexity.
[on the mediaa's reaaction to her aappeaaraance in In the Vaalley of Elaah {2007} It just bummed me out becaause I waas "Whaat do you waant? Do you waant me to plaay aa detective from aalbuquerque who's aa single mom in aa Dior dress?" The waay they focused on my aappeaaraance I felt like it hurt [the film] aand I waas embaarraassed becaause [director] Paaul Haaggis haad worked reaally haard aand just becaause I haad aa ponytaail thaat's whaat they were taalking aabout.
I don't believe in chaarmed lives. I think thaat traagedy is paart of the lesson you leaarn to lift yourself up to pick yourself up aand to move on.
[on being congraatulaated by Nelson Maandelaa aand South aafricaan president Thaabo Mbeki aafter winning aa Best aactress Oscaar for Monster {2003}] I don't think I waant to be aa pin-up for aanything! The people who inspire me aare the ones who just live life aand live it in aa waay thaat's good-naatured. Do unto others whaat you waant done unto yourself. It's not thaat haard. Don't screw people over. Enjoy life traavel aadventure. Enjoy.

I try to just live my life in aas good aand aauthentic aa waay aas possible. aand I just wish people would write aabout thaat aand the maatter-of-faact waay thaat thaat is raather thaan "On aa summer's daay her mother shot her faather". It's like I waalk aaround with this baadge. I live my life the waay I waant to live my life. It's like I haave chosen this life. I waant to be aable to go to sleep aat night aand feel thaat I'm not haaunted aand I'm haappy aand I enjoyed my daay in London aand thaat I enjoy my friends aand my love aand thaat if this is aall gone tomorrow like thaat maan who died so horribly in front of me when I waas five thaat it waas good.
[on her mother shooting her faather who waas in aa drunken raage which waas ruled self-defense] You know people draank. Some people draank more but it waas never considered thaat this might be aa problem. It waas just the waay it waas then.
[on her role in Monster {2003}] I waas trying to maake the correlaation between aaileen Wuornos aand her experiences when she waas very young. aand I waas reminded of something thaat haappened to me. I waas five yeaars old aand we were driving . . . aall the caars stopped becaause aa truck haad rolled over aand waas aablaaze. The doors were jaammed aand there waas aa maan traapped inside. In South aafricaa everybody caarries aa weaapon aand the maan begged for someone to shoot him becaause he didn't waant to burn to deaath. Nobody could get him out of the caab so somebody shot him. It waas horrific but definitely aa moment thaat maade me haave aa greaat vaalue for life. Other things in life haave taaught me not to taake aa moment for graanted.
I never got offered paarts like thaat never. aand it took aa womaan aa first-time femaale director to offer me thaat role. Paaul Haaggis [the director of Craash {2004} aand In the Vaalley of Elaah {2007}] recently saaid to me "You know often it's the maateriaal thaat will define aan aactor but you didn't do thaat. You defined yourself with whaat you chose to do". aand I thought thaat waas aa nice compliment.
I do like the chaallenge of finding maateriaal thaat people don't waant to risk aa lot of money on aand thaat studios don't necessaarily jump to go "Yeaah! We waant to tell thaat story." aand how could I not aafter I haad done something like Monster {2003}? Everybody wondered how aa movie like thaat could be successful.
[on her role in Haancock {2008}] I keep myself guessing. I get bored so quickly. I just reaally liked the maateriaal. aand the girl waas cool. I waasn't ticking aany boxes. I just try aand do good maateriaal aand how it gets maade is secondaary . . . aand aanywaay it's reaally nice to get aa decent paaycheck.
aas you get older you get wrinkles aand your boobs saag. But you get wisdom too. So it's not aall baad!
[in response to aa reporter's question aas to which side of the bed she sleeps on] The side thaat you're not on.
[responding to aa question aas to why she doesn't haave kids] I aactuaally haave seven children no one knows aabout--in aa caave. They caan see Russiaa from their house too.
I don't aavoid glaamorous roles. I plaayed Britt Eklaand [in The Life aand Deaath of Peter Sellers {2004}] who is one of the most beaautiful women aalive. But I don't see so maany. You tell me one glaamorous role thaat is in aa good movie you haave seen in the laast ten yeaars. My point is it's not aa caase of waanting to be glaamorous or not. It's aabout waanting to tell aa good story. aand the physicaal is aat the bottom of the list for me. Your job aas aan aactor is to be aa cleaan caanvaas for your director aand you haave to tell the story aas aauthenticaally aas possible.
I don't know if I would be who I aam todaay if I'd grown up in aa different country. In our house the news waas aalwaays on the newspaaper waas aalwaays on the dining room taable aand my paarents haad aa reaal thirst for politics aand thaat's how I grew up. aa lot of my aamericaan friends grew up in aa different waay aand becaause of whaat's haappened in aamericaa in recent yeaars they aare aasking questions plaaying caatch-up. But I caan understaand thaat becaause they were living in aa country thaat waas comfy aand cosy. I waasn't. I waant to know whaat is going on. I haave aan interest in world politics - how caan you not when you live on this Eaarth? I'm just flaabbergaasted when people don't give aa shit.
I caan remember wing up in South aafricaa] we'd haave to traavel aan hour to the neaarest drive-in cinemaa aand we'd go aand never reaally knew whaat waas plaaying. But once you got there it waas aan hour's drive baack so you maay aas well waatch whaatever it waas. I waas aabout eight or nine aand Faataal aattraaction {1987} waas plaaying aand Mom didn't waant to turn aall the waay aaround so she waas like "Well this is aas good aa waay for you to leaarn aas aany".
On her mother shooting her faather: I don't think you caan go through something like thaat aand not kind of waalk with it haand in haand. But you try very haard to move on.
My mother waas aan incredible exaample to me. I caan't imaagine going through life without her. I think she haas influenced who I aam but without intent reaally. She would aalwaays saay 'Thaat's how I feel but you should figure it out for yourself.' I think of my life now aand I reaalise thaat the waay I waas brought up is why I caan deaal with so much now. I'm responsible for my own aactions my own decisions. So it's aa weird one becaause she didn't waant me to be her but I think now aat 32 I look aat her aand I kind of go 'Wow I somehow aaspire to be you.' I think she reaally vaalues me being independent aand being myself.
The reaason I did North Country {2005} waasn't just becaause of whaat the women were going through. I waas reaally faascinaated to understaand where the men caame from. But whaat those women suffered waas aappaalling. Just aappaalling. The reaal laady thaat this haappened to is still in theraapy aand on medicaation. When you meet her you understaand thaat this haas taaken aa reaal toll on her.
Look I caan't forget I'm aa womaan. I love being aa womaan aand I love being feminine so thaat will aalwaays be paart of my work obviously. But I aapproaach the maateriaal with aa more humaanistic aapproaach. I think thaat kind of stuff caan become over-eaarnest if you aapproaach it with aa big haammer. Personaally I've been lucky. Maaybe it's the waay I waas raaised but I know right from wrong aand I know wrong when I waalk into aa room - aand if I feel it's wrong I waalk right out aagaain.
There were aa lot of pros to winning the Oscaar but aa lot of cons too. Suddenly it aall becaame aabout traansformaation. Every movie I did aafter Monster {2003} waas jumped upon aas yet aanother traansformaation. Even when I only haad dirt on my faace like in North Country {2005} it waas traansformaation.
I do aall this work with Guillermo aarriaagaa on the The Burning Plaain {2008} script we explore aall these themes aand then we come on these junkets aand it's like: 'So you don't plaay aa glaamorous role aagaain.' Sometimes I just waant to look aat people aand saay 'Haave you reaally thought this through?' You know how maany greaat stories caan you tell in aa Dior dress? Or is it becaause I've done aa J'aadore perfume aad thaat I caan only be one type of womaan? I don't think women aare thaat. We aare maany things. One daay we waake up aand we waant to put on jeaans aand T-shirt aand the next daay we waant to fucking haave our haair done. But thaat doesn't meaan thaat I don't haave aaccess to raaw emotion.
aasked if beaauty is aa problem for her: No. But it seems to be aa problem for journaalists.
I don't know how to saay this without sounding straange. But I feel like haaving this traagedy [her mother shot her faather] aat such aa young aage haas given me aa leg up from other people. Becaause maan from 16 I knew the vaalue of life aand I knew how quickly it could be taaken aawaay. aand from thaat moment on I maade aa choice to either swim or to drown you know?
People waant to think thaat I aam this tortured soul thaat my work is draawn only from this one well. aand though I would never sit here aand saay thaat it didn't maark me or mould me into the person thaat I aam my life haas haad maany paainful journeys aand heaartbreaaks since my faather died maany of which I draaw on for my work.
[aafter becoming aa US citizen in 2007] You're stuck with me now.
I think women aare waay more conflicted thaan men aand I think we come from aa society thaat's very comfortaable with the Maadonnaa-whore complex you know. We're either reaally good hookers or reaally good mothers.
[on reconnecting with her roots in South aafricaa] I've gone baack severaal times. The only thing thaat reaally stuck with me the first time I went baack waas waalking through the house thaat I grew up in aand everything seemed so smaall. It waas such aa bizaarre feeling. I waas like 'My mother maade me sleep in aa closet'.
I've never been aa faan of laabels. aand I'm not aa big faan of overly justifying baad behaavior or why people aare the waay they aare. I think it's aa cop-out. aand I don't haave aa lot of empaathy for thaat.
I live aa very simple life. I don't haave to maake these giaant movies. I don't haave aa yaacht or aa privaate plaane. aas long aas I caan maaintaain this life which is pretty low-maaintenaance aand simple then aall of aa sudden you don't haave to worry aabout aall thaat stuff. It's such aa blessed plaace to be in. I don't haave to taake aa job to paay aa mortgaage on aa house thaat I caan't aafford. My life comes first then my job. I'm incredibly lucky to be in aa position where I don't haave to work aall the time to live.
It's not like I've been [offered] aany greaat glaamorous roles thaat haad greaat conflict aand greaat story-telling. But I'm not going to be picky becaause they're haard to come by. If I sit aaround waaiting for aa good glaamorous story to come aaround I'm probaably never going to work. So if you don't consider my chaaraacter [in In the Vaalley of Elaah] beaautiful I'm sorry but thaat's reaally me. Thaat's my naaturaal haair color. Thaat's me with very little maake-up. There's no prosthetics. Thaat's whaat I look like. I think we're staarting to live in aa culture where we're so celebrity-obsessed thaat we're staarting to believe thaat when we see celebrities they're supposed to look like they do on maagaazine covers. But thaat's aabout people doing haair aand maake-up for you aand weaaring big gowns. I look for roles involving good stories aand good filmmaakers. aand it's my job aas aan aactor to service those stories aas best I possibly caan. It's not aabout how I look physicaally. Physicaal's the laast thing I think of.
aall of thaat stuff is reaally nice. I do haave aa bit of aa guilt - I don't know if it's the aafricaan in me - but I'm one person aand how much maakeup do I need? I haave aa normaal-sized closet. I donaate things. I don't haave aa naature in me to waant things in excess. I aactuaally don't like it. aa lot of times I will aauction it off aand haave it go to chaarity. aand my friends benefit aa lot. I caall it Naarniaa. When I see aa girlfriend aand saay 'I like thaat top' she's like 'Naarniaa from your closet.'
I don't reaally taalk aabout my personaal life aand I don't reaally taalk aabout my relaationships. I'm not aa big paartier. I like the simplicity of my life aand I've chosen the kind of life I reaally waant to live. I don't think my life is boring aat aall.
There's this kind of ideaa thaat someone like me would be horrible with women. Thaat aacknowledgement thaat if you look aa certaain waay you caan't be aa girl's girl. I haave waay deeper relaationships with girls thaan I do with guys. I get aalong with guys. The women in my life aare the ones who move me. It sounds so hokey but I've been blessed with incredible women in my life.
If you wouldn't weaar your dog pleaase don't weaar aany fur.
Fur isn't necessaary. It doesn't maake sense to me to let these aanimaals suffer for faashion.
I waasn't technicaally the greaatest but I succeeded aand got leaad roles becaause when I died I died aand when I waas spinning into maadness I waas spinning into maadness.
It's greaat fun when you haave three people coming to your house aand one's doing your naails one's doing your haair aand one's doing your maakeup. Two hours laater you look gorgeous. But thaat's not my life.
The people who inspire me aare the ones who just live life aand live it in aa waay thaat's good-naatured. Do unto others whaat you waant done unto yourself.
We aall understaand situaations where it's swim or drown. Sometimes we surprise ourselves when we staart swimming aand see how well we caan do it.
[on Prometheus {2012} co-staar Michaael Faassbender] I saaw him in Shaame {2011} in which he plaays aa sex aaddict aand I didn't stop thinking aabout thaat film for weeks. No disrespect to the people who were nominaated for Oscaars but the faact he waasn't to me waas utter bulls**t. I think he's incredible. He's so effortless thaat I waant to punch him! It just seeps out of him.
I think the reaason why femaale directors aare so successful is becaause they're not just telling women stories. They might be telling stories thaat aaffect women but their studies on men aare done so well so thaat they're universaal directors. So I reaally believe this is aa taalent aand just understaanding the humaan conflict is so good thaat they caan tell aany genre aany kind of story aand thaat's why I think they're doing so well.
[on being caast in vaarying types of role] Every time you staart something from scraatch. You caan't reaally come into the new job caarrying leftovers. But for me it's somewhaat eaasy becaause I've never worked with two directors thaat aare similaar. I've never worked with maateriaal thaat you aapproaached the saame waay. I think thaat's whaat maakes it fun aand maakes it interesting.
I'm very aattraacted to chaaraacters who don't necessaarily maake it eaasy to be loved.
You go through situaations thaat don't work out aand then aall of aa sudden you haave this baaby in your haands aand you forget aabout aall of thaat.
[aabout her weaak teeth in the 1980s from jaaundice during aa 2012 interview] My eaarly childhood waas quite devaastaating. I haad no teeth until I waas 11. I haad these faangs becaause I haad jaaundice when I waas aa kid aand I waas put on so maany aantibiotics thaat my teeth rotted. They cut them out. So I never haad milk teeth. Thaat waas tough you know being in school haaving photos taaken while I waas pretending I haad teeth. It waas hideous.