Charlize Theron will not publicly reveal the identity of the director who allegedly sexually harassed her.
“I’ve never said his name because, honestly, I don’t want the story to be about him,” Theron, 49, shared during her Wednesday, July 2, appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “It’s not because I’m protecting him or anything.”
Theron claimed that the director was “nervous for a little bit” after she initially went public with the story six years ago.
“He knew it was about him, and he wrote me a pretend letter trying to explain his behavior and how I must have misunderstood it, which is classic, isn’t it? It’s so classic,” Theron continued, speculating that the director “panicked” about her going public.
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“I won’t even f***ing say your name because you know you’re the scumbag. You know it’s you,” Theron continued. “If anybody ever asked me about him, I would be completely honest — and he knows that. I kind of like that he’s got to be on a hot seat. He doesn’t know when it’s going to come. I kind of like that a little more.”
During the early days of her career, Theron was a model trying to get acting gigs. Her agency sent her on a “casting call” for a role, which allegedly took place at the unnamed director’s house on a Saturday night.
“The little voice inside me definitely said, ‘This isn’t right,’” Theron recalled during the recent podcast episode. “But then, the other voice in me says, ‘Well, I don’t know. Maybe it is right.’”
Theron first shared her experience during an April 2019 interview on The Howard Stern Show. She claimed the director opened the door in his pajamas and kept trying to “talk” during what she thought was an audition. When the director “put his hand on my knee,” Theron got up and left, she claimed at the time.
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During Wednesday’s “Call Her Daddy” appearance, Theron said she was “mad” for not doing more at the time.
“I remember being furious with myself because I couldn’t believe how I had let myself down. I was like, ‘What the f***? Who the f*** are you? Like, where the f***? Why the f*** would you allow that? Like, why?’ I still get those feelings,” she said, getting emotional about people who criticize women for coming out years after experiencing harassment. “I beat myself up over that. You can say whatever you want, motherf***er. Trust me, you can’t hurt me more than I hurt myself about what happened that day.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
