In 2019 Charlize sat down with Pride Source and discussed a host of topics, including her LGBTQ allyship and her then 7-year-old daughter, Jackson.
Charlize has been protective of her children so far, and we don't often hear a lot about Jackson and her younger sister, August. However, Charlize has shared that Jackson is transgender. Part of the reason Charlize is telling a little bit of Jackson's story is that news outlets often use the wrong pronouns when talking about her — like most moms, Charlize wants to look out for both of her children.
In the interview, Charlize explains: "I think it became harder for us the older she got that people were still writing about her in the wrong pronouns, and also I was still talking about her in the press using the wrong pronoun. It really hurt her feelings."
Charlize went on to explain that when she last spoke about Jackson, she made a point of talking about how Jackson told her she was a girl at the age of 3. She added, "I haven’t really talked about it ever since, again, because outside of just asking that respectfully of the press — and the world, hopefully — the rest is really private and it’s her story, and it’s really up to her to decide if she wants to share that."
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Pride Source also brings up Charlize's LGBTQ following, which Charlize admits she didn't realize she had. "Oh, wow! I never really thought of that. (Laughs.) Yeah, listen, I try to live my life not compartmentalizing people. I am very aware that the world does that, so it’s this kind of position that you wanna take where you just want to normalize everything and not talk about it in such a walled-off, labeled sense."
Pride Source also asks Charlize about what work she does to normalize LGBTQ representation in Hollywood, and she gives a thoughtful answer. "I’m very vocal about what I believe is the right thing to do and how we should treat each other, and at the same time I feel like the thing that maybe I could bring to the table in moving all of this stuff forward is to just make sure that the stories that I tell and the characters that I play reflect the world, which is the gay and lesbian community, in a way where we’re not asking a million questions around it. This is just how it should be."
When asked if she was responsible for the queer representation in Bombshell, Charlize surprises the interviewer by answering no. "No, I wish I could take credit for that, but no. It was something that was written in the script when I got it and I thought it was really interesting. And it is so interesting that people kind of go, like, 'Wait, I don’t understand.' I was like, 'You can’t understand that a conservative Jesus-loving girl could also love other women?' I’m like, 'Isn’t that so strange?'"
The two also speak about Atomic Beauty, in which Charlize's character is bisexual. While speaking on the sexuality of her character, she said, "For me, the bottom line is, you’re playing real people and real human dynamics and that’s where these things have to live and breathe, and when you start kind of thinking that one is different than the other, I don’t really know what the point is, then. Then you should probably just not even touch it, you know? If you’re not willing to be as accurate and authentic as you possibly can, then just don’t bother. It does a disservice, I think."
Charlize also goes on to talk about how she speaks about queerness to her two daughters. While noting that they are still young, she says conversations about marriage and relationships are already happening.
"I love that my kids just know that that’s a normal question to ask. One of my daughters (4-year-old August) is convinced that she’s gonna be married five times and it’s gonna be three boys and two girls, and I just love that she has the freedom to think that way. God knows what it’s going to be, but I love that she feels safe enough to explore in her little-girl brain that anything is possible and that she’s gonna go and discover that for herself."
Charlize also shares that right now, her daughter Jackson's story is firmly her story to tell, if she ever chooses to do so. "Well, this is all pretty new for us, so it hasn’t really kind of come into question. I don’t really necessarily know if it will. My daughter’s story is really her story, and one day, if she chooses, she’ll tell her story. I feel like as her mother, for me, it was important to let the world know that I would appreciate it if they would use the right pronouns for her."
Pride Source notes that LGBTQ representation is growing, and asks if Charlize also sees it. "I think that we can’t become complacent – that’s a very dangerous place to get to — but I feel so hopeful and optimistic when I see shows like (HBO’s queer-inclusive teen drama) Euphoria and I see the characters and the actors in that and, again, the normalization of it, the fact that nothing is underlined and nothing is being overly explained to you. You’re kind of just being dropped into a world of real people living their lives and struggling with real things that people struggle with — especially that young people struggle with."
Charlize's film, Bombshell, was released on Dec. 13, 2019. Charlize stars alongside Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie, and the movie is about the ultimate takedown and resignation of former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes following multiple accusations of sexual harassment.
