Charlize Theron finally opened up about the night when her mother, Gerda shot and killed her father in self-defence. In an interview with NPR, the Bombshell actress revealed that her father Charles Theron was drunk and threatened her and Gerda when she was just 15 years old.
What happened that night
"My father was so drunk that he shouldn't have been able to walk when he came into the house with a gun," Charlize said. "My mom and I were in my bedroom leaning against the door because he was trying to push through the door,'' she told NPR.
She continued, "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. None of the bullets ever hit us, which is just a miracle.''
To save her daughter and herself, Gerda shot her husband and hence no charges were pressed against her. Charlize further said that she is not ashamed to talk about this incident and described her father as a "very sick man," saying he "was an alcoholic all my life."
The actress has been vocal about the circumstances of her father's death and involvement of her mother in the incident.
In October 2018, Charlize credited Gerda for making her strong. "I am lucky enough that I had a great mom who really kind of made me brave and always told me to be brave. I don't know who I might have been without that," she added.
Charlize's new film
Meanwhile, on the professional front, the actress is busy promoting her upcoming film, Bombshell. The film is set to release this Friday in the US with the UK release on January 17.
Also starring Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie in prominent roles, Bombshell tells the story of a group of women who decide to take on Fox News chairman and CEO Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network, including the prevalence of sexual harassment. Charlize plays former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly in the motion picture.
