Charlize Theron Says She Would Drop Career For Her 2 Adopted Kids Who She Raised Without A Lot Of Support
Jan 09, 2023 by apost team
Charlize Theron is, without a doubt, a bona fide Hollywood star who has cemented her place in the upper echelons of the film industry. The former dancer and model worked her way to the top to become one of the highest-paid actresses in the business, as well as a renowned producer since launching her own production company, Denver and Delilah Productions, in 2003.
According to the Daily Mail, Theron was discovered by a talent agent who was standing next to her in line at the bank. The bank cashier had refused to let Theron cash a check, and she was throwing a tantrum when she caught the attention of the agent.
Soon after, Theron’s career took flight. To secure her role in 1997’s “The Devil’s Advocate,” the actress had to audition six times. The Daily Mail reported that she stopped grooming herself and slept less just so she could fit the role of a haunted, haggard wife. It all proved to be worth it as the movie is now credited to be her break-out film. She won her first Academy Award in 2004 for her role as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the 2003 film “Monster.”
“The dream was never this big,” she once said. “The greatest thing that I have learned in my journey doing this, is that if you come in with your own agenda, and with your own ego and you try to kind of force something and control something, you cannot make a good movie.”
With more than 60 acting credits to her name, some of Theron’s most notable films include “Sweet November,” “The Italian Job,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Atomic Blonde” and “The Old Guard.” But despite maintaining such an enviously venerable reputation in film, Theron was still missing one key factor to fulfillment — children.
Theron was born on Aug. 7, 1975, in Benoni, South Africa. The only child began her career as a model in Milan, Italy, at the age of 16, before moving to New York City to pursue her love of dance. After a knee injury put an end to her ambitions as a ballet dancer, Theron soon turned to acting. It turns out that it was not just an interest of hers but her calling.
“The first time I ever acted, it felt right, as if that’s what I’m supposed to do with my bones,” she said.
Another thing that also came naturally to her later in life was adopting her two children — first Jackson in 2012, followed by his sibling August in 2015.
Theron told NPR in 2019 she did not have a specific country in mind when she applied to adopt.
“I wanted to believe that somehow my child would find me in the way that we were just meant to be,” she told the outlet.
She also later elaborated to People that her vision of motherhood had always included adoption: “Even when I was in relationships, I was always honest with my partners, that adoption was how my family would look one day. This was definitely not a second option for me. It was always my first.”
In another interview, Theron said, “The fact that I got to choose when I wanted to be a mom, where I travel a lot, and I see a lot of young girls not have that choice,” and added: “There's a great power in choosing when to be a mother and doing it when your body, your mind and everything is celebrating all of that. I know that this is what I can handle.”
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Now, Theron is reveling in motherhood, despite all the challenges it presents, as she also tries to maintain an acting career. Like many mothers, she does at times lean on her family and loved ones to help in the delicate juggling act and, despite her being one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, can sometimes find herself shorthanded. She admitted to shock jock Howard Stern in 2019: “I have one nanny, so it's not like I have a ton of help.”
“My life is a little overwhelmed,” the star also told Us magazine. “I just had three surgeries. I’m promoting two films. … We don’t have a nanny right now and I know that I couldn’t do what I do and have this career if I didn’t have help and support.” However, she added she was grateful to get all the help she could from family and friends.
“Every single person in my life who is like my family has just stepped in and it’s really meant a lot to me. Tonight I was literally, like, writing (while) a friend of mine was watching the puppies. My mom is cooking dinner for the kids right now,” she told the publication, and added, “People think I have a staff of 40, but I don’t.”
Despite the challenges of single motherhood juxtaposed with the luxuries of a thriving Hollywood career, Theron said if she had to choose between the two, there was no question which she would pick. She told The Hollywood Reporter:
Charlize Theron, Jackson Theron (2015), (JB Lacroix/WireImage)“I love being a mom more than I like being an actor or a producer. And I never thought I would say that. If somebody said to me tomorrow, ‘You can’t do both,’ would I be sad to give up acting? Of course. But it would be a no-brainer for me.”
What do you think of Charlize Theron’s parenting style? Has juggling a career and children ever posed a problem for you, too? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to friends and family as well.