Charlize Theron found unexpected motivation during her Apex workouts, and it came from watching her daughter August, 11, scale walls with effortless ease.
The Oscar winner took August to the gym while training with professional mountain climber Beth Rodden for her new action film, and the preteen quickly made her own mark during the sessions.
“She’s a bit of a daredevil,” Theron said E! News exclusively at the film’s New York premiere on April 22.
“Beth and I worked on one side, and whenever I got tired, I would just look over and they would both climb up these walls.”
August was climbing alongside Rodden’s ten-year-old son, and watching the two kids attack the walls without hesitation gave Theron exactly the push she needed.
“Sometimes as an adult you get so caught up in the mechanics,” she said.
“And then you look and these kids who don’t know anything are just like, ‘I have to make it to the top.’ And you’re like, ‘OK, that’s all I have to do.’ Just reach the top. It was fun to share that with her.”
For the 50-year-old, the experience was about something broader regarding physical performance and acting.
“Our physical bodies can say a lot. As actors, we sometimes use words as a crutch and when you take all that away, it’s a really, really good exercise for actors to really understand that the mind and the body need to be connected.”
She was quick to clarify, however, that her appetite for action roles isn’t something she’s waiting for.
“I like being an actor who can branch out, but this was, for me, a really bad movie.”
As for how she plans to celebrate Mother’s Day with daughters August and Jackson, 14? Rather more quietly.
“They better bring me some tea or something in bed. Hint, hint.”
Summitalso starring Taron Egerton, will premiere globally on Netflix on April 24.
