Charlize Theron reveals she considered leaving America with her two children due to rising racism
'Atomic Blonde' actress Charlize Theron says that “racism” could ultimately drive her and her two adopted black children out of the country in search of safety.
The 42-year-old actress is no stranger to racial inequality as the actress was "raised during the apartheid era in South Africa." In an interview for the May cover of Elle with Chelsea Handler, she shares how her experiences made her "so hyper-aware of equality and human rights.”
The Tully star is a mother of two black children — Jackson, six, and August, two — that she adopted and co-parents with her mother. In the recent interview, she discussed the current political climate and stated; "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,” she said. “We can’t deny it anymore. We have to be vocal.”
She further went on to explain that the situation made her consider leaving United States for the safety of her children. “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,” she cited. “There are a lot of times when I look at my kids and I’m like, if this continues, I might have to [leave America]. Because the last thing I want is for my children to feel unsafe.”
What Charlize wants for her kids is to be proud of their background. “I want them to know who they are, and I want them to be so f***ng proud of who they are. Building confidence for them right now is an oath I made to myself when I brought them home,” she assured. “They need to know where they come from and be proud of that. But 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,” she concluded.