Charlize Theron is a very cool mom. The Mad Max: Fury Road actress is the mom to two adopted daughters – Jackson, 14, and August, 11. During an appearance on TODAY on Wednesday, April 22, Charlize gave a surprising confession about her parenting style.
The South African actress appeared on the morning show to promote her upcoming thriller film, Apex, in which she portrays a daredevil rock climber who finds herself being hunted. After TODAY host Craig Melvin commented on the many physical feats Charlize has performed for her job, he asked: "Are you trying to kill yourself?"
The 50-year-old actress chimed in laughing: "No, no…I'm not, I'm a mom, I wanna go home to my kids at the end of the night."
Charlize's surprising motherhood confession
Charlize, Jackson, and August live in Los Angeles among the stars. But even in a town where having famous parents isn't rare, the Bombshell actress explained that her demeanor can be misunderstood.
During an interview with The New York Times, Charlize said: "It's funny because people think I'm a tough [expletive]. A lot of people think I am very cold…I'm sometimes a little brash and people take that as, 'She's so tough.'" And it's the complete opposite."
© InstagramAfter Craig asked her why she thinks people think of her as a "tough [expletive]," Charlize explained: "I think I'm very direct, South Africans are very direct. I'm not very good with small talk and I think sometimes when I walk onto a set and I'm that direct, I think people take that as being cold."
But, Charlize revealed: "I'm a softy at heart," adding: "I just think people are always shocked when they hear, 'She cries at the drop of a hat,' or when they see me when I'm around my kids or when I talk about [them], and they're like, "Wait, I thought she was an [expletive]."
© AFP via Getty ImagesCharlize's life as a single mom
Regardless of what people think about Charlize, she knows she's a good mom, even when parenting gets hard. During an appearance on an episode of the New Heights, host Jason Kelce, who shares four daughters with wife Kylie Kelce, asked Charlize for parenting advice.
"They just turn into hormonal nightmares," the actress jokingly told him. "Like, I'm getting my [expletive] handed to me from the moment that I walk into the house. And all these things are gonna serve them so well in life, but I might not make it."
© Getty ImagesCharlize continued: "Nature does this beautiful thing where you think you're in your worst place right now, so that you can cope with what you have. But from where I am, I can tell you, [Jason], that you're in a lovely place and they're still lovely and sweet."
"And then one day, you're gonna walk into their room around eleven, and they're gonna just be like, ‘Why did you turn the lights on?!'" the Oscar winner added.
