Charlize Theron Isn’t Having it With Ageism in Hollywood

Photo: Getty

Charlize Theron is happily aging — and why shouldn’t she be? Her life thus far has been full and exciting, and she’s not the only celebrity who feels this way.

“How could I be afraid of something so natural? Aging is part of our life, we can’t avoid that,” she told Vanity Fair Italy. “A part of me is really grateful for all the things that have happened since I started aging, now I’m much wiser than 20 years ago. A wrinkle is nothing compared to that.” Theron hasn’t experienced the ageism that her fellow actresses that say costs them roles, either. “I don’t agree with that [notion,] and I’m not happy to hear people talking like that about Hollywood,” she said. “Now that I’m 41, I work much more than 20 years ago, and I enjoy it even more. And all the women I know say the same thing, so it’s time to stop this cliché.“

Theron’s unpopular opinion comes just a month after research found that ageism is, in fact, alive and well; while 18.5 percent of the population is 60 and over, only 11 percent of film characters are that age. Still, Theron’s positivity about aging feels like a breath of fresh air in a time that people are worried about aging in their 20s and the average celebrity’s face is pumped full of Juvederm.

If you’re even remotely worried about aging, read on:

"I love getting older. I think it has to do with always being the kid on set. It’s interesting because, these days, [cosmetic surgery] is treated almost like hygiene. I’ve had people say to me, ‘Oh, you should, you know…’ and they point to my forehead. ‘Get that seen to!’ But I’m like, ‘No! I’ve been waiting so long for that to happen!’” — Winona Ryder

“I actually like aging. I have great older female role models in my life, including my amazing mom, who have glitz, glamour, and all sorts of fun,” Anderson told W. “Getting older isn’t the end. I know I have so much to look forward to.” — Pamela Anderson

"This is such a pivotal moment in my life! I’m transitioning as a woman, and I’m finally able to express myself as I am.” — Beyoncé on turning 30

“I obviously don’t have the same body that I had when I was 20. But I also don’t have the same mindset either, when I was wracked with self-consciousness and insecurity. Now I really appreciate my maturity as a woman, my depth of spirit and soul and my understanding of who I am and what’s important to me.” — Elle Macpherson

“You’re 30: You know stuff now. Your 20s were for ‘ducking up,’ as my auto-correct would say, and learning from those mistakes.” — Olivia Wilde

"I was putting Louis to bed and told him that even when I’m old and gray and more wrinkly than I am now, I’ll still love him and want to tuck him in. And he asked me why I have wrinkles, and I said, 'Well, I hope some of them are from laughing so much.’” — Sandra Bullock

“I don’t feel as shy or nervous or self-conscious. I have more confidence that I can handle what life brings me. I don’t feel scared to have an idea and express it. I feel giddy about it because it’s a complete transformation. It’s like I’ve found my voice.” — Michelle Williams

“Your wrinkles reflect the roads you have taken; they form the map of your life. My face reflects the wind and sun and rain and dust from the trips I’ve taken. My face carries all my memories. Why should I erase them?“ — Diane von Furstenberg

“I’m not interested in being perfect when I’m older. Im interested in having a narrative. It’s the narrative that’s really the most beautiful thing about women.” — Jodie Foster

"Turning 30 was really big for me. I can get really stuck on 'I don’t like this or that about myself.’ I’ve found that the only thing that breaks that for me is being able to spend time alone, going to the movies by myself or going to art museums alone. I do that a lot. I’ve discovered the importance of even 15 or 30 minutes a day where it is just me.” — Reese Witherspoon

“I love aging. Why would I want to be 21 for the rest of my life?” — Zoe Saldana

“I would say a magical thing happened on when the big 40th birthday came. I felt like a light kind of just went off, and maybe that’s because I felt like at 40 I had the right to say and be who I wanted to be, say what I wanted to say, and accept what I didn’t want to accept.” — Halle Berry

“There’s no such thing is aging, but maturing and knowledge. It’s beautiful, I call that beauty.” — Celine Dion

“I’m actually happier with my body now … because the body I have now is the body I’ve worked for. I have a better relationship with it. From a purely aesthetic point of view, my body was better when I was 22, 23. But I didn’t enjoy it. I was too busy comparing it to everyone else’s.” — Cindy Crawford

“I think I look nicer now. It’s really weird cause when you’re 21 you think, ‘Oh God, when I’m 36, oh God, that’s nearly 40, and I’ll look really old and wrinkly by then.’ And actually I quite like the way I look. I feel OK about myself these days.” — Kate Winslet

“Age holds absolutely no fear for me. There is so much enjoyment ahead.” –Penelope Cruz

“I don’t have any regrets. If I could have talked to my 19- or 20-year-old self, I would have said, 'You’re going to be fine. It ain’t that serious!’” — Queen Latifah

“I have gratitude. I know myself better. I feel more capable than ever. And as far as the physicality of it, I feel better at 40 than I did at 25.” — Cameron Diaz

“I think I’ve always been a follow-the-leader with my career, or maybe waiting for things to happen. Now I’m like, ‘I’m OK—I know the direction, whoever’s on board can go with me.’“ — Robin Wright

“I don’t think of getting older as looking better or worse; it’s just different. You change, and that’s OK. Life is about change. I don’t have anxiety about it, so I’m not running to get Botox. Maybe that will change, but I don’t think so. I feel comfortable in my skin and comfortable with ageing, so I think it’s okay that I get wrinkles.” — Heidi Klum

"The thing about 50 is that you’ve clearly reached a point where you have more of your life behind you than ahead of you, and that’s a very different place to be in. You’re thinking, 'I’ve done most of it.’ I don’t like that feeling. But it makes you evaluate your life and go, 'Am I doing what I want to do? Am I spending my time the way I want?’ ” — Julianne Moore

“I do think about ageing. I have those moments of panic and vanity, but life keeps getting better, so you can’t worry about it too much.” — Jennifer Garner

“As scary as change can be and as much as I might resist it, there’s always some unkown gift that comes out of it. I really never thought you could begin again. You can.” — Debra Messing

“F*ck you. I’m 50. That’s what I’m going to say when I turn 50. Sorry.” — Madonna

“I can’t tell you how many doctors try to sell me a facelift. I’ve even gone as far as having someone talk me into it, but when I went over and looked at pictures of myself, I thought 'What are they going to lift?’ … Frankly, I think that in the art of aging well there’s this sexuality to having those imperfections. It’s sensual.” — Sharon Stone

“If I can be the first 80-year-old to go out there successfully in a bikini, then I’ll take that on. I don’t think anybody needs to rein in anything because of an age. That is absolute BS. To each his own! Everybody needs to stay in his own backyard.” — Jennifer Aniston

“What I’ve learned in this first 50 is that if you can allow yourself to breathe into the depth, wonder, beauty, craziness, and strife — everything that represents the fullness of your life — you can live fearlessly. Because you come to realize that if you just keep breathing, you cannot be conquered.” — Oprah

“When you’re 16, you think 28 is so old! And then you get to 28 and it’s fabulous. You think, then, what about 42? Ugh! And then 42 is great. As you reach each age, you gain the understanding you need to deal with it and enjoy it.“ — Helen Mirren

"The trick is to age honestly and gracefully and make it look great, so that everyone looks forward to it.” — Emma Thompson

“I am appalled that the term we use to talk about aging is 'anti.’ Aging is as natural as a baby’s softness and scent. Aging is human evolution in its pure form. Death, taxes, and aging.” — Jamie Lee Curtis

“I’m very f*cking grateful to be alive. I have so many friends who are sick or gone, and I’m here. Are you kidding? No complaints!” — Meryl Streep

“I think in the past, the thought was your 20s are when you are at your best, and after that it’s downhill. Now women are realizing that we are at our best as we get older. We are attractive, and we are more interesting, and we are more self-assured than we were ten years before, and there’s something sexy and attractive about that to all men. So what’s the big deal?” — Jennifer Lopez

“I have learned that we should never settle for someone else’s definition of who we can be. Growing to this age, I realize, is kind of like feeling your voice deepen. It’s still your voice, but it has more substance, and it sounds like it knows its own origins.” — Susan Sarandon

“Here is my biggest takeaway after 60 years on the planet: There is great value in being fearless. For too much of my life, I was too afraid, too frightened by it all. That fear is one of my biggest regrets.” — Diane Keaton

“I take comfort that aging happens to everybody. It’s part of life. Aging offers great lessons in dignity, since the indignity wins in the end. Yes, it bothers me when I have lines or puffiness or droops. But it connects me with the human race. Like weather bringing people together, aging brings people together.“ — Diane Lane