Charlize Theron was seen enjoying a rare, low-key outing at Disneyland on Friday with her eldest child, Jackson, and a group of the boy’s friends.
The 49-year-old actor arrived dressed casually in a white T‑shirt, jeans, a baseball cap and sunglasses, and spent the day moving through the park’s attractions, handing out cold drinks and shepherding the group toward rides and snack stands. Observers said Theron joined in on the fun — throwing her arms up and screaming on a log-ride roller coaster — and at other times walked just behind Jackson, appearing relaxed but watchful in the busy park.
The outing comes amid a stretch of public comment in which Theron has spoken candidly about parenting. During a May appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she joked that her children have “zero respect” for her Hollywood career, noting that despite her awards she does not always get star treatment at home. Theron was the first South African to win an acting Academy Award when she received best actress for the 2003 film Monster.
Theron has previously described adoption as her preferred path to parenthood. She adopted Jackson in 2012 and her daughter, August, in 2015. Speaking to PEOPLE in 2018, Theron said adoption had always been her first choice and that her upbringing in South Africa exposed her early to children in need. In a November 2023 interview with the same outlet, she discussed some of the difficulties and rewards of raising children as a single parent.
Theron’s personal life has included a number of public relationships. According to previous reports, her early relationship history included actor Craig Bierko and singer Stephan Jenkins. She later lived with Irish actor Stuart Townsend before their separation in 2009. Theron dated American actor Sean Penn beginning in December 2013; the pair split in June 2015 amid reports they had been engaged, which Theron later denied.
On Friday, her role at Disneyland appeared to be that of an engaged, present parent: keeping track of a group of children, joining in rides and providing snacks and drinks. The family-focused outing offered a glimpse of her private life after recent media appearances in which she balanced anecdotes about action-film stunts and awards recognition with reflections on parenting and adoption.