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Charlize Theron spoke to “Extra’s” Tommy DiDario as she attended the Global Citizen Festival 2023 in NYC. She talked about the importance of getting the message out about climate change, as well as the work of her foundation, the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.

Charlize also opened up about the challenges of parenthood and the ”not so pretty” things that people are often scared to talk about.

Regarding climate change, she said, “We are living in a world where that if you don’t have any awareness time is running out, it is very unfortunate. We are trying to speak as loud as we can… We are running out of time. It is not a message that has been taken well.”

She is also doing great work with her Africa Outreach Project. “We work with partners on the ground who service four million young people, and that’s great, but I have stories of things I have witnessed and… bear witness of things that I have heard from young people… It’s moving.”

Theron went on, “When I hear those personal stories, that’s the thing that makes me realize you can’t get lost in the size of the change you are making, you have to just know that changing one person’s life will then continue to have more people change their lives because of that one person.”

Tommy asked if she talks to her kids about climate change with her family. “It sucks for them,” she admitted. “They are being raised by a mom that’s constantly like… they are like, ‘Yes, Mom, we know, we know.’”

Speaking of recently saying motherhood is gratifying and rewarding but can also be lonely, she said, “I feel like there is a lot of stuff in raising kids that people are scared to talk about, and you feel sort of alone with it. That’s the challenging stuff, the things that are not so pretty, that doesn’t look like the Disney movie, the moments when you really are losing your mind…

There is nothing better than when another mom looks at you and goes, ‘I know, I know what you’re talking about,’ and that’s what I am talking about — we have to have more of that.”