Charlize Theron is a fearless woman, on-screen and off-screen. The actress recently opened up about the night her mother shot and killed her father in self-defense and asserted that she is not ashamed to talk about the incident. And while the Oscar-winning actress, who’s currently being critically acclaimed for her latest movie Bombshell, is known for portraying strong characters. Theron recently revealed that things weren’t the same when she was growing up.
The South African actress, now 44, was a teenager when her father, Charles Theron, drunkenly threatened her and her mother, Gerda, with a gun in 1991. He fired the weapon three times, miraculously missing his wife and daughter.
“My father was so drunk that he shouldn’t have been able to walk when he came into the house with a gun,” the “Bombshell” star recalled to NPR. “My mom and I were in my bedroom leaning against the door because he was trying to push through the door.
“So both of us were leaning against the door from the inside to have him not be able to push through. He took a step back and just shot through the door three times,” Theron continued. “None of the bullets ever hit us, which is just a miracle.
Taking no chances, Gerda grabbed her own handgun and killed her now-late husband. She faced no charges, as the shooting was ruled as self-defense.
Theron — who is now mom to adopted kids Jackson and August — said she’s “not ashamed” to discuss her past because of the awareness it brings to domestic violence.
