The South African actress believes she was able to use her father’s death to her advantage, and that the unfortunate event allowed her to achieve her Hollywood success.
Theron’s mother, Gerda, shot her husband out of self-defence, when the actress was only 15-years-old.
The star explained, "I don’t know how to say this without sounding strange. But I feel like having this tragedy at such a young age has given me a leg up from other people. Because, man, from 16, I knew the value of life and I knew how quickly it could be taken away. And from that moment on, I made a choice to either swim or to drown, you know?"