How Charlize Theron Learned English | Late Night with Conan O’Brien

(Original Air Date: 11/20/98) Charlize Theron talks about the secret to losing her South African accent, her childhood on a farm, working with Woody Allen, and the downsides to acting with a mechanical gorilla.

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Running from 1993-2009, Late Night with Conan O’Brien is one of the most beloved late night shows in television history. Known for its absurdist humor, hilarious celebrity interviews and featuring the best stand-up comedians and musical acts of the ‘90s and early 2000s. Hosted by Conan O’Brien alongside sidekick Andy Richter and house band Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7, Late Night with Conan O’Brien featured unforgettable segments like “If They Mated”, “In the Year 2000”, “Desk Drive”, and made a breakout star of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

[LisaLuminaire]

I’m South African, Charlize and I are the same age, South Africa is/was bilingual Afrikaans and English when she lived there, everyone speaks both languages, she didn’t learn English in America. She already spoke it, she learned and adopted the American accent.

[trinidadinternational]

Afrikaans is her first language but English is one of the 12 official languages in South Africa. I am sure she was exposed at an early age. Conan was talking about learning the language but Charlize's response was about acquiring the American accent. Two very different things.

[barbaravyse]

My mom is from Mexico and she learned some English in school. When she married my American dad and moved to New York, she became fluent in English by watching soap operas mostly.

[mustafabaris]

I am from Ankara Turkey I became fluent in English at age 19 and fluent in Chinese at age 28.. Throughout my journey of studying these two foreign languages I have to admit that there is a difference between learning a language and acquiring a language .. I certainly acquired these two foreign languages by living in the USA and China for many many years and immersing myself deeply in these cultures and using the languages every single day day in day out.. So, if you are studying any foreign language right now try to distinguish the difference between learning and acquiring and move yourself towards acquiring that language.

[williamscottgordon]

I've lived in Japan for over 20 years, and I seriously first learned Japanese from renting tons of daytime dramas and just watching them nonstop. They say that TV rots your brain, but it's gotta be the world's single best language-learning tool. P.S. Let's cut Conan some slack; I'm SURE he meant to say, "how did you learn AMERICAN English so well?" He's smart as well as funny, but he was also sitting just a few feet away from Charlize Theron. 😁

[dannyarcher]

South African here. There's no way she didn't learn English in the good ol' days. If you were Afrikaans, you had to learn English as a second language at school and vice versa.

[DJaquithFL]

25 years later and she's still a knockout! 👍😎

[devirachman]

She speaks English, she just needed to learn American accent.

[avexp]

When they came to the US, my parents picked up their English from movies. They never adjusted their voice boxes, though. Their accents remained.

[anadd]

I've always found her stunning and she indeed is, even with that haircut omg❤

[mondo]

It's interesting that Charlize has an American accent (vs. British/Australian/South African, etc.). But her explanation about watching American TV series explains it.

[fotticelli]

I learned English watching "Three's Company" and "Mork and Mindy". Oh and the reruns of "Get Smart". South Africa is such an amazing country. I had a choice of emigrating there but chose not to at that time. I got a chance to go there for work ten years ago and that was a great experience.

[lynnevdmerwe]

Conan went to Harvard and he doesn’t know South Africa was a British Colony until 1960 and therefore we all speak English…

[davemac]

Conan was never appreciated for his interviewing skills back in these days. He knew how to connect with so many young actors.

[hsd]

OMG she is so beautiful in her youth and still is can't believe this gorgeous girl would become Furiosa ❤

[joanofarcxxi]

That is how I learned to speak American English, watching American tv. It's a great way to learn.

[leelydston]

Why didn't anybody ever clarify with her that South Africans generally are not limited to speaking in Afrikaans but also speak English but with a heavy accent? Anybody remember Lethal Weapon 2?
I think she learned to speak 'American English' sans accent from American TV. I believe she could already speak English.

[Andrew-Antioch-Kim]

Charlize is an ageless as well as a talented wonder!

[isuriadireja]

If there's such a thing as a FLAWLESS face... Charlize definitely got it. 😍

[christoph]

She learned English from reruns of Dynasty just like Sona