Charlize Theron- Media Invading My Privacy is Like Rape; Statement Causes Backlash
Charlize Theron's comments about the media and paparazzi intrusion into her life have sparked controversy. The Oscar-winning actress said that the constant invasion of press into her private life was like rape, which many found offensive.
Charlize Theron was being interviewed by Britain's Sky News when the divisive remarks were made. She's busy promoting her new film "A Million Ways to Die in the West" alongside comedian and screenwriter Seth Macfarlane, but when the interviewer asked her if she ever Googled herself, she was quick to say no.
"I don't do that, so that's my saving grace," Theron, 38, said. "When you start living in that world, and doing that, you start feeling raped."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The interviewer, perhaps taken aback, gave her a chance to clarify her "strong" wording, but she felt her position was correct.
"Well, you know when it comes to your son and your private life. … Some people might relish all that stuff but there are certain things in my life that I think of as very sacred and I am very protective over them," the actress, who has participated in anti-rape campaigns before, explained.
"My job has made my life incredibly blessed and good and I am very grateful for that, but it does not mean that every aspect of my life all of a sudden becomes fodder for an article," she later said. "I try to protect that as much as I can."
The South African actress' comments upset many people, with some comparing her experiences to the women in India who have been viciously violated.
"#CharlizeTheron your timing is shocking given the brutal rape and murders in India. Get real!" one person tweeted.
"It is always disappointing when someone high profile uses that language and turns sexual violence into a metaphor for something else," Katie Russell of Rape Crisis England and Wales told Daily Mail. "It is never appropriate and it trivializes the experience of sexual violence."
Theron has not responded to the backlash.
