Charlize Theron: The world can be grim

Charlize Theron doesn’t think that life is ever that happy.

The 40-year-old actress had a tragic upbringing, with her mother shooting her alcoholic father dead in self-defence when she was 15. While her life is in a much better place now, with a successful film career and two adopted children to care for, the star admits happiness will always be limited.

“I don’t think that life is that happy in general,” she confessed to British magazine OK! “It’s always going to be a struggle and you have to hang on to those moments where the world seems wonderful rather than grim.”

Charlize has also had to deal with the breakdown of her relationship with fellow actor Sean Penn this year. The long time friends got together early last year but they parted ways in June. When faced with adversity, Charlize does her best to stay upbeat.

“I’ve always believed that having a sense of humour and not taking everything so seriously is the only way of dealing with some pretty harsh realities in life,” she added.

The Monster actress moved from her native South Africa to America to originally follow her dream of becoming a dancer. When that ambition ended, her mother bought her a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to become an actress. While she’s won multiple gongs including an Academy Award, Charlize will never forget the tough times she faced in the early days of her career.

“I know how lucky I’ve been and I’ll never forget those dark days living in a cheap apartment with hardly any money to eat and wondering what was going to happen to me,” she said. “So it’s still like living in a dream to me, being able to work and not have to worry about money.”