Theron opens up about dad's death

12 March 2009 11:15am

Charlize Theron has said witnessing her dad's death when she was only 15 gave her a "leg up from other people".

The Hancock star saw her mother shoot her abusive father dead in self-defence in 1990, but revealed she was able to take something positive from the tragedy.

The 33-year-old told The Times: "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?"

Oscar-winner Charlize, who stars in new drama The Burning Plain, also said people wrongly assume her acting work "is drawn only from this one well".

But she explained that while the shooting had a massive impact, her life "has had many painful journeys and heartbreaks since my father died, many of which I draw on for my work".

The Burning Plain opens in the UK on March 13.

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