Charlize Theron: I Never Dreamed I'd Be a Single Mom, "But It Happened"

USMagazine, Friday, May 18, 2012, 5:45am (PDT)

When Charlize Theron adopted her son Jackson in March, she was making good on a promise she made 28 years ago.

"My mother found [a letter I wrote]. It said, 'Would you please take me to orphanage, so that I can go and adopt a baby?'" South African Theron, 36, recalls in the June issue of Australia's Madison. "I always knew I would adopt. Always."

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Though she's been single since ending her nine-year partnership with Stuart Townsend in 2010, Theron didn't question her ability to raise a child on her own. "You know, I don't think any mother aims to be a single mom. I didn't wish for that, but it happened."

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Besides, Theron says, the idea of marriage "has never been that important to me. I don't know why exactly. Some might say it's because my parents didn't have a good marriage, but I don't think so. I treat my relationships like marriages. The ceremony isn't that important to me."

In her Madison interview, Theron also bemoans working with actors who take themselves too seriously.

"I hate actors who come and quote Nietzsche. I don't like pretentious sh-t. I like being around people who like to live life and understand the value of it. I need to be around people who understand we're not curing cancer here," the Oscar winner says. "I like professional actors who show up, do the job and are not a pain in the ass to either myself or the crew."

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The Prometheus star adds: "I don't believe in this idea that if you're f-cked up . . . that's the only way to do good work. It's bullsh-t. A professional actor does their homework beforehand and they do their job. Then when it's all said and done, they have a beer with the crew. That's what a professional actor does."

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Charlize Theron: I Never Dreamed I'd Be a Single Mom, "But It Happened"