WASHINGTON: Oscar and a Golden Globe winner Charlize Theron has come a long way to become a shining star in the world of filmdom. According to The Star, the Hollywood actress was raised speaking Afrikaans, a Dutch-based language spoken in South Africa.

“It’s still very much a part of me. My boyfriend actually told me two days ago that I was talking to him in my sleep in Afrikaans,” she says.

Charlize is also reportedly smitten with her Irish boyfriend, actor Stuart Townsend whom she met almost three years ago when they filmed ‘Trapped’. “I’ve never been the marrying type, but I could definitely see myself enjoying a big day out now that I’ve met Stuart,” says Charlize, who is officially not engaged.

Now for the things you didn’t know about Theron, here’s the rest of her story!

The 28-year-old beauty was a ballet fanatic as a child. Friend Marlise Wolmarans says, “We were doing ‘The Nutcracker’ in school and we were backstage in point shoes. Her feet were bleeding and she took off her shoes with skin and blood everywhere, but she carried on.”

Unfortunately, she also has a tragedy behind her, but more than 10 years later, she somehow managed to get over it, reports Star.

On June 21, 1991, when Charlize lived on a farm in rural South Africa, her alcoholic dad Charles threatened to shoot Charlize and her mother, Gerda. Charles fired his gun into Charlize’s room prompting Gerda to grab her own gun and kill him, says the report. Charlize says, “It’s a part of me, it doesn’t rule my life.” After ‘Monster, Theron seems to have a penchant for playing a killer. The actress who won the Oscar for the best actress for her gripping portrayal of the real life serial killer, Aileen Wuornos in ‘Monster’ is again bracing herself for the act.

According to the National Inquirer, Theron is playing the lead in the film, ‘Aeon Flux’, which is based on the MTV animated series about an assassin living in a modern, but destroyed world 400 years in the future.

It seems that Theron constantly burst into peals of laughter while filming a lesbian kissing scene in ‘Monster’ because her teeth kept falling out. Theron underwent a huge physical transformation to play serial killer Aileen Wuornos, including having a dental plate fitted. But the false dentures made kissing Christina Ricci tricky, and the pair spent the day in hysterics.

“She was really great at kissing, but it was quite difficult with fake teeth. Nothing could help us keep a straight face. At one point I looked at Christina and said, ‘This is a slumber party gone so wrong,’” Theron was quoted as saying.

On the same theme, earlier this month, Theron opposed California Governor Schwarzenegger’s attitude towards gay marriages, terming it as “prehistoric”. She was reacting to the order given by Schwarzenegger to officials to stop granting of marriage licences to gays.

The lady who gave a stunning performance in ‘Monster’, grew up in her native South Africa amidst gay couples. She was shocked at the attitude displayed towards homosexuals marriages in the present age.

“I just don’t understand that at all. It’s so unbelievably frustrating,” Teen Hollywood quoted her. She added “I mean, I am surrounded by so many beautiful relationships just in my life, I can’t tell you — just so inspirational. And the fact that what the sex is (of someone you love) is an issue is just unbelievable to me.”“I mean, love is such a hard thing — to find somebody who’s willing to go through anything with you and stand by you that, on its own, is so hard to find,” she added. Theron emphatically stated, “The fact that people want to complicate it even more just absolutely baffles me... If it happens, cherish it! What does it matter if you’re sharing it with a man or a woman?”