Golden girl's rise to the top
2004-01-30 10:16
Johannesburg - Charlize Theron's acting career did not start in Hollywood. In fact, it all started on a plot in Putfontein, east of Johannesburg.
Retseh Jansen, one of Theron's "best friends" in primary school, said Theron lived in a fantasy world from a very young age.
"We were too young to know about Hollywood but she was convinced that one day she would be on TV," said Jansen.
Today, Theron not only has Hollywood's attention but also that of the entire movie industry.
Her latest role in Monster has won her a Golden Globe Award and also secured her an Oscar nomination.
Sally Beal, Theron's Grade 2 teacher at Putfontein Primary, said that even at the age of seven, Theron had something that made her stand out in a crowd. Theron went on to become head girl at the school.
Beal said Theron loved entertaining her classmates with ballet and singing performances.
And even when something went wrong, Theron was left unfazed. She told how the young star fell in front of her entire school during a ballet performance.
"Where another child would have burst into tears, Charlize just smiled, pulled on her dress and carried on dancing as if nothing had happened," said Beal.
Beal is convinced it was this quality that helped the star through the domestic problems in the Theron household. Theron lost her father, Charles, about 13 years ago when her mother shot him.
Gerhard Kachelhoffer, principal of Putfontein Primary, said Theron worshipped her dad.
Jansen said they had looked like a happy family. "If there was something wrong, they hid it well."
According to a Putfontein resident, Pottie Potgieter, Theron's mother "always groomed and polished her. She was a beautiful child and her mother made sure she did not go unnoticed".
Beal said that her beauty, which opened modelling doors for her in Milan, was clearly visible in Grade 1.
"She was very popular among the boys but never took any notice of that," she said.
"Here in Putfontein her golden tracks run deeper than they do in Hollywood. Everyone here remembers Charlize. She is someone you don't easily forget," added Potgieter.