Charlize Theron covers Vogue, talks Sean Penn: ‘I really didn’t see it coming’

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Charlize Theron covers the new issue of Vogue, the June issue. The theme of the Mario Testino shoot is beachy and athletic, lots of swimwear and resort-collection clothes. It suits Charlize – she’s got that model figure, but she also looks strong and athletic. She covers the mag because she’s promoting A Million Ways To Die In the West, and Seth MacFarlane is quoted extensively throughout the piece. You can tell he adores her, and she really liked being part of the movie too – she talks a bit about how she’s typecast as an “icy bitch,” and how she reveled in the chance to play a different kind of character. You can read the full piece here (she talks over screwdrivers and steaks). She has a lot to say about Sean Penn. It’s actually a really interesting profile and it was difficult to cull the most significant quotes because there were so many.

On marriage: “I mean, I really do understand the importance and what that ceremony represents to so many people, but it’s just such a personal thing. Let’s put it this way: I never had the dream of the white dress. And watching other people getting married? I think it’s beautiful for them, but to be quite honest, usually I’m sitting there just devastated. It’s supposed to be this night of celebrating love, and all you see is a couple separated all night making sure everybody else is OK. It just looks like a lot of work. And as you get older, you start sifting through the stuff that really matters… A lot of people want to make it about my past, my mom and dad not being in a great marriage, but I will tell you honestly: I have had a good amount of healthy therapy about it, and it really isn’t about that. Because I think that would kind of showcase itself more in a fear of long-term relationships, which I don’t have at all. I want the long-term relationship. And I don’t really know how to invest in the other thing.”

Mommyhood & Sean Penn: “Look, we’re dating, and I don’t think we were trying to hide anything. We were photographed; the relationship was kind of written about… What I will say is, I was single for a really long time. I was enjoying mommyhood. You just naturally become kind of selfish about your time, and all of it is dedicated to this little thing, whether he needs it or not. And then they get into more of a schedule and you start to think, Wow, wait a second. There’s this passionate creature in me. And going about dating in your late 30s is such a different ball game. I know so well what I want to fit in my life. And the simple answer to that is: Unless he can make my life better? My life is really pretty f–king good”

Friends first with Sean: “What I guess I am trying to say is: A friend kind of stepped into that role, and I really didn’t see it coming. Sean and I have known each other for eighteen years. We were just really good friends. And it’s been slow going because you are aware that you could screw that up and lose it. We had to think about it. But at the end of the day, it was somewhat effortless. It just kind of naturally happened, and before I knew it, I was in something that was making my life better—the people who really love me can see the effect it has had on me. The last time I was dating, I was 24. I was like, ‘Awww, you’re miserable and moody, but I’m just going to forgive that because you’re so cute! Oh, you treat me so badly, but maybe that will change in five years when I have your children!’ ” She drains her cocktail and orders another. “That just doesn’t exist anymore.”

[From Vogue]

See? It’s interesting. I know a lot of people think Charlize’s thing with Sean will end badly, and yes, it probably will. But I don’t begrudge her the relationship. I think Sean makes her happy… for now. We’ll see what it’s like long-term.

She talks more about hitting “rock bottom” in her 30s and asking for a reference to a good therapist from a friend. She also talks a lot about Jackson, his personality and how she always wanted to adopt, even when she was just a kid herself. She references Stuart Townsend when she talks about adoption, saying: “But even in my relationship with Stuart, that was something I was very clear about. We had very different ideas of what a family looked like. There’s no judgment; that was not the reason why we broke up, but when we did, adopting was not a last resort for me—it was almost like a first resort.” That’s interesting, isn’t it? I’ll buy that adoption wasn’t “the reason” they split, but it’s probably a big factor – he wanted to have biological kids and she wanted to adopt. Interesting.

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Photos courtesy of Testino/VOGUE.

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49 Responses to “Charlize Theron covers Vogue, talks Sean Penn: ‘I really didn’t see it coming’”

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  1. GiGi says:

    Gorgeous pics! Interesting quotes, too. I like what she has to say about adoption. We have children both bio and adopted and for us, too, adoption was a choice. It’s called “optional adoption” by some people. We always knew we would adopt, even though we’re able to have children biologically as well.

    I’m starting to like her more and more.

  2. bsh says:

    She is a beautiful woman but honestly, judging from candids and pap-pictures we see of her everyday, I don’t think she’s been ageing that well. This Vogue pictorial seems photoshopped like hell.

    • Andemy says:

      I agree with you. She isn’t ageing well and has been twerking her face for a while now.
      I guess she has been reading what people are saying about her relationship with Sean Penn. Now she is letting us know he makes her very happy. Hmmmm wishing them well.

      • TG says:

        I wonder if everyone who thinks she isn’t aging well is comparing her to other celebs her age or to people they know in their own life. Because I think she is showing her age well and she looks good. She looks like someone who eats well and exercises and likely gets facials and whatever that suff is called. I think all these celebs are skewing people’s idea of what a woman should look like at any age. I know there are people who look young forever but the majority of us get crews feet, some grey hair and even wrinkles over time.

      • More like she’s letting us know that she knows of his rep. as an abuser…..she’s known him for eighteen years. I can’t imagine being friends with someone that I know has abused at least one of his former wives, but such is the enigma of Sean Penn. How do you separate the asswipe from the caring, deeply compassionate man who’s spent the last few years doing aid work in Haiti?? It’s just so interesting to me, how we are all so different. It’s like your asshole boss who reams EVERYONE for the slightest thing, but then helps out the poor single mother with kids, who works as a secretary or something.

        Plus I’ve been hearing rumors, for a while now, that Charlize is a total biatch. And not in a good way either.

      • Andemy says:

        +1 to your comment VC
        And yes she is a total b*tch
        Had encounter(s) with her and her stylist in NY and believe you I was shocked at her attitude and she also feels the whites in South Africa are wrongly treated by the black in south Africa.

      • Tulip Garden says:

        @TG,
        I agree that Charlize is aging very well. I know beauty is subjective and all of that but I was really surprised that some believe Charlize doesn’t look really good. I find that she is lovely even when papped out and about in street clothes with her son.
        @VG
        You are right that Penn, and most people, are extremely complex beings. It is interesting to see very different facets of the same person, very Jekyll and Hyde when it comes to the extremes of Penn. I hope that he has matured and mellowed, for the sake of all of those that deal with him.

      • FingerBinger says:

        @ Andemy That’s why she voted for Nelson Mandela in the first democratic election in South Africa because she thought “whites in South Africa are wrongly treated by the black in south Africa.” Why would Nelson Mandela,a man who spent his life fighting against apartheid, praise a woman who thought that way? Why would SA president, Jacob Zuma, praise her if she has those beliefs? You sound ridiculous.

      • FLORC says:

        Spot on VC

        And Penn has done his share of godwill work, but he’s still a violent man at times and that shouldn’t be forgiven because he’s used a fraction of his wealth and time to help others. It’s great, but it’s not a get out of jail free pass.

        And CT is a biatch with skewed elitist views of the world. They seem like Halle and Oliver. Really loved up and instantly a family, but both have tempers and boiling points. It’s only a matter of time. Best of luck until then.

      • Tatjana says:

        What bitchy things has she done? I’ve never heard of her reputation. She just seemed a bit cold.

      • FLORC says:

        Tatjana
        Just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t make it untrue. Lots of stories are coming up now. Former employees can be sued, but the link of how she treated a fan certainly backs a lot of stories that have been around. Maybe people have just had enough of her and aren’t scared anymore.

    • LIVEALOT says:

      i’ve seen her in person and she’s gorgeous. sorrynotsorry, but i call b.s. on “not aging well”

  3. Grant says:

    I really don’t like the cover shot.

  4. Lucy says:

    Love the pictures! The interview is pretty good as well. I think I might be one of the few people in here who don’t really find her to be an “ice-cold bitch”.

    • Tulip Garden says:

      I don’t find her to be an “ice-bitch” either. It does seem that she doesn’t suffer fools very well. Also, I believe that she is very upfront, not a person that beats around the bush. I like her.

      • FLORC says:

        It’s slowly leaking out more and more. People are starting to talk more openly. It doesn’t take long for the wrong info to get out and tides can swiftly turn.
        To say she doesn’t suffer fools seems nice from what is coming out.

  5. OriginalCrystal says:

    She’s stunning but American Vogue is so boring ugh.

    Her son is just adorable. I’m happy she’s happy even if it is with that piece of sh-t Sean Penn.

  6. KatNotNice says:

    Trust, Charlize no one saw that coming either.

  7. itsetsyou says:

    “‘Awww, you’re miserable and moody, but I’m just going to forgive that because you’re so cute! Oh, you treat me so badly, but maybe that will change in five years when I have your children!’ – if that’s about Stewart, he must have been a pretty shitty boyfriend.

    • Becky1 says:

      She also dated the lead singer from Third Eye Blind for awhile. I ‘m thinking that may have been about him.

  8. Hissyfit says:

    The cover photo is a blah. I like the inside photos better. I used to find her stunning. Now don’t get me wrong, she’s still beautiful. I just don’t think her beauty stands out anymore.

  9. Kimbob says:

    Charlize always gives a great interview, I think. I really like her & think she’s one of the most beautiful women around. But…..Sean Penn….really?! She didn’t see it coming…yeah, I’ll buy that one. I read Tom Sizemore’s autobiography recently, & Tom says Sean is known as a “ladies man” (LMAO…yeah, I know right?), & would “consult” w/Sean whenever he had woman problems….WHAT a revelation!!! So yeah, I see Sean as a sleazy, greasy sly dog. He was friends w/Charlize for a long, long time, & sometime after his fling w/ScarJo didn’t work out, he sidled up to Charlize under the “we’re friends” guise. Ugh….just…..UGH!

  10. Jayna says:

    Charlize is gorgeous and is aging beautifully. She has some lines. Big deal. I saw her in an HD movie, and she looked like a beautiful mid to late 30s woman with some lines and no distorted face like Nicole has at times in movies.

    I liked her interview a lot.

  11. Roo says:

    She won my heart when she played Rita Leeds on Arrested Development. For some strange reason these photos remind me of that?

  12. ViktoryGin says:

    Didn’t see what coming? His fists? O_O

    Duck, Charlize, duck!

  13. original kay says:

    call me fickle, but I could not be “friends” with someone who abused his wives.
    if I was friends, and it came out he was abusive, we would no longer be friends. (or if the wife abused her spouse, etc).
    how can you possibly move on from knowing that? I could not.

    Like Mel Gibson- how could anyone even have a normal conversation with that man, knowing what he is really like inside?

    It boggles my mind really.

    So CT can say she has had therapy and is in a good place, but damn. Not so much if you are dating a known abuser. She says “Unless he can make my life better? My life is really pretty f–king good”

    so an abuser makes it better. back to therapy honey.

    • don't kill me i'm french says:

      my feeling is that she knows him and as long time as he makes her happy ,it will be okay! She’s the boss in their couple.It’s him who makes the efforts.

    • kri says:

      +1000. A friend for 18 years, huh? So she knows his version of his life. Men like this are so good at convincing people there are “two sides to this story about me’ or “people don’t know the truth-I was abused too.” Ugh, such bs. I can’t believe she fell for it. Maybe he’s behaving right now, but I’m sure she will “step out of line” soon. I had an ex like this. He volunteered at an animal shelter and everyone thought he was great. They never saw him pin me to a wall or sit in front of the door for hours so I couldn’t leave. Fun times. Good luck, Charlize.

      • FLORC says:

        A friend of mine had a saintly husband. Volunteered, gave back, never raised his voice. People couldn’t believe how amazing he was. And no one believed her when she said he yelled at her. He seemed too nice!
        Then she’d say how he was escalating.
        He still seemed so nice on the outside and nobody saw what she was talking about.
        He yelled at her once infront of a group and I swear my lungs shook from his voice.
        Message is some people are master manipulators and liars.

  14. FingerBinger says:

    People keep saying they hear she is a bitch. OK How is she a bitch? What did she do or say that was bitchy? Al least give an example. Don’t just say you heard she was bitch and leave it at that.

    • don't kill me i'm french says:

      In Hollywood,when peoples said you’re a bitch,it’s that you’re strong,independant and you have an opinion….the worst default for a woman.

      I know that a of Dior’s J adore commercial was filmed in France at Compiègne by JJ Annaud.According to the newspaper( i live in the same aera),anyone was authorized to talk and look her.She talked to anyone except her own team and Annaud.She came with her mum,her make-up artist,her stylist and her hairdresser

      After,the ” no contact” is usual during a filming

  15. Ms. Petit says:

    When she was talking about dating in her 20’s, I assumed she was talking about Stephen Jenkins, the lead singer for Third Eye Blind. Having worked in the music industry, I’ve heard that he is a total douchebag.

  16. zbornak syndrome says:

    Gurl, if you “didn’t see it coming” then you need to invest in a rear view mirror!

  17. Helvetica says:

    Think this is the most she has ever talked about her personal life.
    So weird but it sounds like she is in love which is crazy cause it’s Sean Penn!
    I share her views on marriage: not something that appeals to me but I am happy for those who are into it (I am just not).
    It’s true that you should only be with someone who enhances your life-not makes it worse.

  18. DaSariH says:

    I don’t think i can take Vogue seriously as a high fashion magazine after that Kimye cover.

  19. Dina says:

    As a transracial adoptee myself sometimes I wonder if all these actresses like her and Sandra really have the deep understanding and the sensibility that takes for adoption.I mean Charlize is the same who totally derailed Viola’s opinion about black women in Hollywood and is friends with Chelsea Handler. I know I don’t know her personally but I can’t help but wonder…

  20. lucy2 says:

    I think she is just SO beautiful.
    Her interview is interesting. While she does have an icy, bitchy reputation, at the same time she seems to know who she is and isn’t apologetic for it, or denying it.

  21. Jh says:

    Hasn’t been aging well??????
    Ok, it’s official. People are ludicrous. She’s a gorgeous, smart, funny woman. Damn. Y’all wouldn’t want to see me. Jesus.

  22. Scott says:

    Charlize is a beautiful woman, always has been and likely always will be. All you talking about how she isn’t aging well, I would like to see you put your photos up against hers and see how you do. She’s gorgeous! I could lose myself in those eyes.

    She’s an accomplished successful Mom, I for one am proud of her.

    Keep being classy, Charlize and ignore these jealous women.

  23. JJ says:


    Sean is morally corrupt