10+ Cool Things About Charlize Theron Fans Didn't Know

The Young Adult actress was born in Benoni, South Africa on August 7th, 1975.

She grew up on a farm where she spent her childhood taking care of animals and feeding livestock.

The actress has overcome a lot. When she was a kid, her mother killed her father in self-defense.

This happened when her abusive alcoholic father came home intoxicated and threatened her mother with a gun.

She was broke and living in Hollywood when she went to Hollywood Boulevard bank to cash a check. It was one her mother sent to help with the rent.

But when the teller refused to cash it, she started yelling at him.

He handed her his business card and helped get her into the world of acting by introducing her to casting agents and acting school.

What luck, am I right?

This is how most of us pronounce the South African actress's name: Char-leez Te-ey-ron.

But get this: it's actually pronounced Shar-LEES THAIR-en. Turns out, we've been pronouncing a lot of celebs' names wrong for some time.

She even thought that she'd become a professional ballerina:

"I was a ballerina from the time I was four years old and I thought that's what I'd always do. I left South Africa at 16 and studied abroad and supported myself by modelling," she told Notebook magazine.

Thankfully, her mom encouraged her to consider acting.

"And it sounds so ridiculous, but she then said, 'You know, I hear they make those movies in Los Angeles, you should go. You don't want to be 80 and on your deathbed and wonder what could have been.' And boy, was she right. So I owe her a lot."

This is a famous rumor that followed the pair's high-profile relationship for years.

Charlize finally set the record straight while on The Howard Stern Show.

"What? That’s not true. no," she said.

"No, we dated, that was literally all we did, we dated. It was a relationship, for sure. We were definitely exclusive, but it was for barely a year."

At least she cleared it up!

“Let’s put it this way: I never had the dream of the white dress," she told Vogue.

"And watching other people getting married? I think it’s beautiful for them, but to be quite honest, usually I’m sitting there just devastated."

Their names are August, 3, and Jackson, 7.

In 2010, she told People that adoption was always her "first choice. "My kids make me laugh like nobody’s business," she said.

She's always been super close with her mom, Greta.

"To not acknowledge her in coparenting my children would be a lie," she once told Elle.

"I knew that I would have to have my mom help me if I was going to do this as a single parent."

Move over, Ellen! There's a new viral selfie in town!

Her star-studded selfie featured Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson, Salma Hayek, Regina King, and Rami Malek. It will definitely go down in history.

This decision stirred up a lot of controversy.

Theron recalled the moment that Jackson told her she was a girl to the Daily Mail.

"Yes, I thought she was a boy, too," Theron said.

"So there you go! I have two beautiful daughters who, just like any parent, I want to protect and I want to see thrive. And I will do everything in my power for my kids to have that right and to be protected within that."

When the talk show host was on The Candace Owens Show, he said that it was "dangerous" for parents to let kids choose their gender.

"My God, if you're 3 years old, I just think it's dangerous as a parent to make this determination then."

"It's sort of alarming and my gosh, I just think about the repercussions later on. I think parents need to allow their kids to be kids, but at the same time, you gotta be the adult in the situation."

The frenemies first clashed on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road.

Their co-star, Zoë Kravitz, even confirmed the feud while on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

“We were also in the desert for so long. I think everyone was tired and confused and homesick and we saw nothing but sand for six months. It’s just, you go crazy, you do.”