From Lulu Garcia-Navarro: I’ve never had an interview quite like this one with Charlize Theron. I came in wanting to talk about her storied acting career, which began after she moved on her own to New York to be a ballet dancer, quit because of an injury and was discovered barely out of her teens at a bank in Los Angeles. By her late 20s she had produced, starred in and won an Oscar for the film “Monster,” in which she completely transformed herself to play the serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Since then, she’s been in dark comedies like “Tully” and big-budget fantasies like “Snow White and the Huntsman,” but I was most interested in her latest turn as an action star in films like “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the “Old Guard” franchise and her newest film, “Apex,” in which, at age 50, she kicks butt again, this time while being chased through the Australian wilderness. But while we did talk about her roles past and present, our conversation almost immediately took a revealing turn. Theron has spoken publicly about the fact that her mother killed her father in self-defense when she was a teenager. But when we talked about it, and the repercussions she’s lived with ever since, memories of her childhood flooded in with a vividness that surprised us both. Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/magazine/charlize-theron-interview.html 00:01:16 Theron’s Oscar speech thanking her mom 00:03:55 Growing up on a South African farm 00:06:32 Apartheid and the violence she saw 00:14:45 The night her mother shot her father in self-defense 00:19:54 Culture of alcoholism and speaking out 00:22:12 How trauma changed her relationship with her mom 00:25:35 Leaving South Africa for dance 00:27:16 Deciding to pursue acting and move to L.A. 00:31:40 Why she's drawn to action roles 00:33:25 Her experience with injuries and pain 00:37:44 Valuing life and being emotional 00:40:15 Her new movie “Apex” and the challenges of action roles 00:46:39 South Africa's resilience and joy 00:49:41 Founding a production company 00:50:40 Filming "Monster" and the reactions her transformation 00:56:23 Filming “Mad Max: Fury Road” 00:58:23 Acting in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” “The Interview” features conversations with the world’s most fascinating people. Each week, co-hosts David Marchese and Lulu Garcia-Navarro talk to compelling, influential figures in culture, politics, business, sports and beyond — illuminating who they are, why they do what they do and how they impact the rest of us. Subscribe to “The Interview”: https://www.youtube.com/@theinterviewpodcast Download the New York Times app: https://bit.ly/4gZdoip #theinterview