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Charlize Theron's New Role Scored Her Major Cool Points With Her Kids—But They Had One Complaint

In an E! News interview, Charlize Theron said her children "really loved" her new movie The School for Good and Evil. Scroll on to find out what she said was their "only complaint."

By Elyse Dupre Oct 19, 2022 9:11 PMTags
Watch: Charlize Theron & Kerry Washington Gush Over Their Friendship

Charlize Theron's kids are her biggest fans—but even they have their critiques when it comes to her movies.

The actress, 47, revealed what her daughters August, 7, and Jackson, 10, thought of her new film The School for Good and Evil at its premiere in Los Angeles on Oct. 18.

"They got to see the film a month ago, and they really liked it," Charlize exclusively told E! News correspondent Francesca Amiker. "For me, there's not a lot in my repertoire that's, like, anything that they're going to appreciate anytime soon—not at least until they're like 52. I mean, it was a huge part why I wanted to do it, and they really loved the film. They're here tonight. They're gonna see it again."

While the Oscar winner agreed it scored her some cool mom points, she admitted her kids did have one issue with her role.

"The only complaint is they're like, 'Did you have to be evil?' Like, they wanted me in big princess gowns," Charlize added.  "And I'm like, 'Listen, I mean, I had to go and have a little fun.' They're like, 'Mom, can you just be the princess for once?'"

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To be fair, Kerry Washington—who stars in the film with Charlize—noted kids can be tough critics in general. When asked if her children were excited about her role, the mom of three replied, "You know how it is. I think kids, they think their worlds are special. They don't think my world is special. I'm just mommy."

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In the movie—which is based on Soman Chainani's book series and tells the story of two BFFs who are placed in opposing sides of an academy that trains heroes and villains—Charlize plays Lady Lesso, the head of the School for Evil, and Kerry portrays Professor Dovey, who runs the School for Good. The stars bonded instantly, including over being working moms.

"I'm not exaggerating. I felt like it was within the first 30 seconds," Charlize said of their fast friendship. "When you meet another actress who has young kids, trying to balance it all, there's this kind of unspoken thing. We saw each other, and I think within a minute we were like, 'OK, so how do you do it? How do you do this? Like, can you tell me?' It's just a shared thing. And then that was kind of our whole experience was just talking about how much we love what we do, but that we love being moms. I think it's a classic thing that all parents deal with."

Kerry couldn't agree more. "When you're working with another working mom, there's unique challenges," the Scandal alum, 45, shared. "There's a vibe, it's a mood where you're balancing all this stuff and we had that instant connection. You know, we were sharing resources and sharing stories and sharing our hearts with each other because your kids are your heart. And so, it just was an instantaneous chemistry."

And the castmates had a blast acting alongside each other. "She's so smart and so funny and it felt like we really fed each other, you know?" Kerry continued. "Like, she would take a risk and the meaner she would be, the more saccharine I would be. And the sweeter I would be, the more annoyed she would be. And we just really played off of each other. It was so delightful." 

Fans can stream The School for Good and Evil on Netflix starting Oct. 19.

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