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Academy Award winner Charlize Theron appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday, May 8, where she playfully revealed that her two daughters remain surprisingly unfazed by her impressive Hollywood career.
The 49-year-old actress, known for roles in films like Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde, was on the late-night show to promote her upcoming action sequel, The Old Guard 2, set for release on Netflix on July 2, 2025.
“They Have Zero Respect for Me,” Theron Says with a Laugh
When host Jimmy Kimmel asked how her daughters—Jackson (12) and August (9)—respond to seeing their mom on big screens and billboards, Theron replied with humor and humility.
“My children have zero respect for me,” she said. “It’s just unbelievable. I feel like I’m pretty humble, but every once in a while I’m like, ‘There’s a f***** Oscar right there.’ They are so not impressed with me.”
Her candid remarks drew laughter from the audience, highlighting the often humbling reality of parenthood—even for Hollywood elites.
Tom Cruise Apparently Gets More Credit from Her Kids
Theron shared an amusing anecdote about her youngest daughter’s reaction to seeing a Mission: Impossible poster featuring Tom Cruise dramatically clinging to a yellow aircraft.
“I was picking up my youngest from dance yesterday and we drove past the new Mission Impossible poster where Tom Cruise is hanging onto some yellow plane, and he just looks really cool,” she said.
Despite her own daring stunts in The Old Guard 2, including scenes of fighting helicopters and hanging off one in mid-air, her daughter remained unimpressed.
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“My child looked at this poster of Tom Cruise and went, ‘It’s weird, he looks so much cooler than you did when you were hanging off the helicopter.’”
Behind the Scenes: The Old Guard 2’s Helicopter Stunt
Theron explained the complexity of the stunt work involved in her latest film, in which she did nearly all of her action sequences practically—with minimal visual effects.
“We brought in this amazing helicopter pilot, Fred North, and we choreographed this incredible sequence… I was fighting helicopters, jumping on one, and hanging off it while it tried to shake me off like a rag doll,” she detailed.
The sequence reportedly took two weeks to film, and Theron was understandably proud of her work—only to be humorously dismissed by her child in favor of Cruise’s more polished movie poster.
“I was just like, ‘I hung off the helicopter, [can I have] some credit?’” she laughed.
Theron’s Humor and Grounded Perspective Shine Through
This isn’t the first time Theron has spoken about her kids’ grounded reaction to her fame. Despite being a Hollywood powerhouse and Oscar winner, Theron has made clear that her role as a mother is the one where she gets the least red carpet treatment.
Her anecdote underscores a relatable truth: children often see their parents as just “Mom” or “Dad,” no matter how glamorous or daring their careers may be.
The Old Guard 2 Set to Premiere on Netflix in 2025
Fans of action cinema can look forward to seeing Theron reprise her role as immortal warrior Andy in The Old Guard 2, which premieres on July 2, 2025 exclusively on Netflix.
The film continues the story of a covert team of immortal mercenaries and is expected to feature high-intensity action scenes, including the helicopter sequence Theron referenced.
