Charlize Theron covers the new issue of Elle Canada to promote her Sean Penn-directed film, The Last Face. We always knew it was a bad idea for Charlize to agree to be directed by her then-boyfriend, just because it didn’t take a fortune-teller to understand that Charlize and Sean were not going to be in it for the long haul and at some point, she would have to awkwardly promote this film following her split with Penn. Sean and Charlize broke up just a few months after filming The Last Face and their visit to Cannes this year was hilariously awkward, made worse by the fact that film critics universally called the film a flaming pile of garbage. Still, Charlize has a duty to promote the film, thus this Elle Canada interview. Charlize mostly talks about motherhood, probably because she wasn’t asked ANY questions about Penn, and only one question about the film. Some highlights from the interview:

Playing disturbing characters: “I’ve never had any psychotherapy. Being an actress is enough.”

What character is she most like? “I lay claim to all of them. I think that women can be all of these things at once. It’s a big mistake to think that we can play just one role: a mother or a seductress, a homemaker or a working girl. In the past, women suffered too much from being categorized. Like men, they are multi-faceted.”

Moving from modeling to acting: “Remember that when I first started, there were no models who went on to become actresses. It was really frowned upon. If it did happen, people thought that these no-talent girls were exploiting their beauty to get acting roles. So I tried to keep my distance from modelling as much as possible so that I could assert myself as an actor. Fortunately, things have changed a lot over the past 10 years, and these boundaries no longer exist. And it is a tremendous pleasure for me to be Dior’s muse.”

Whether she “exposes herself” in films: “But that’s just it! I don’t expose myself in my films—I play a role. There is a false and very widespread belief that an actress has to give up her privacy. I don’t believe that. I don’t reveal some parts of my private life to the public. That’s what I need to do to preserve my mental health. I want to be able to come home at night and feel that part of me is still intact, secret.”

How her life has changed with motherhood: “Everything has changed! When I became a mother, I had already wanted it for a long time. I craved motherhood, and I was incredibly invested in it. It’s not easy to adopt, even when you’re a celebrity. But when I held my children in my arms, I was happier than I ever expected to be. Today, motherhood is a source of joy every single day, something stronger than everything else, more powerful than my career.”

Whether she feels she represents single motherhood: “I don’t know. I’m not trying to prove anything or become a symbol. It’s just the way things worked out. When you adopt, you have to do it unconditionally. I threw myself into the adoption process because I was convinced that I could fulfill the role of mother and give my children all the love and attention they need. No one aspires to become a single parent, but I learned a long time ago that you can’t control everything in life. I have adapted to the situation because I am pragmatic.”

Her passion for social & political activism: “It’s just my personality, who I am. I’m a militant; I like to take action and get involved in issues. Even if I weren’t famous, I’d be the type of person who writes to her MP. I grew up in a situation of extreme injustice: apartheid. Given what I saw as a child in South Africa, my involvement is unavoidable.”

[From Elle Canada]

I wonder about this: “No one aspires to become a single parent, but I learned a long time ago that you can’t control everything in life. I have adapted to the situation because I am pragmatic.” I wonder about that because I always viewed Charlize as someone who really did decide one day that becoming a single mother was her path. Maybe it would be unfair to call that an “aspiration,” but she made those choices and I think she’s happy with her choices. Is she saying that she always saw herself married with kids, or with a partner before she adopted, and that’s why she had to learn how to be “pragmatic” and adopt as a single parent?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, cover courtesy of Elle Canada.