Charlize Theron discusses everything from depression to racism in a brand new interview with Chelsea Handler for the latest issue of ELLE magazine.
The 42-year-old stars as an overwhelmed mother-of-two in her latest film “Tully”; after gaining 35 pounds to play the role of Marlo, Theron admits she found the whole thing incredibly tough.
Theron tells the mag, “This time it really hit me hard. I was constantly f**king eating. And I love carbs. But I sort of plateaued on carbs. So I started eating and drinking a lot of sugar. It really messed with my head. I had depression for the first time in my life shooting this film. I felt like I was in a dark cloud. Getting back to normal took a long time.”
Handler, 43, then asks the actress about her own two children, Jackson (Jacks) and August (Auggie), whom she adopted.
The “Atomic Blonde” star explains, “I struggled mentally through the adoption process. Some of my lowest points in my life were dealing with the first time I filed; it really took an emotional toll. There were so many situations that didn’t work out, and you’d get attached and have all your hopes up and then just get crushed.”
RELATED: Charlize Theron Blasts The Idea Of Arming Teachers As ‘Outrageous’
Talk also turns to the struggles of raising two black children in today’s society, with Theron admitting her kids “need to know where they come from and be proud of that.”
However, she admits that it hasn’t been easy and she’s now worrying more than ever with America having Donald Trump as president.
“They’re going to have to know that it’s a different climate for them than it is for me, and how unfair that is. If I can do something about that, of course, I’m going to.
“I don’t even know how to talk about the last year under our new administration. But racism is much more alive and well than people thought. We can’t deny it anymore. We have to be vocal. There are places in this country where, if I got a job, I wouldn’t take it. I wouldn’t travel with my kids to some parts of America, and that’s really problematic.”
RELATED: Charlize Theron Teaches South African Slang During Spicy Episode Of ‘Hot Ones’
Theron’s tell-all chat also sees her open up about co-parenting with her mom, Greta, as well as fighting to be offered more “real” roles in the industry.
She insists, “If you look at my career, I have done more work in realism than the glamour stuff. It’s what I wanted to build my career on and why I fought so hard to not just play the ingenue or the girlfriend.”
