Charlize on not losing weight for modeling: “I had the capability to be a bigger model than I was. They were always telling me, ‘Lose five pounds and you’ll be a supermodel.’ But I saw modeling like waitressing — it was a way to pay for another career, and that career was dance.”

Charlize on aging: “When you’re young, there’s nothing but excitement. The older you get, the more fearful you become. When you’re young, you don’t think in terms of danger.”

Charlize on fame: “I don’t like the tactics of the paparazzi, but in some ways, I almost prefer their unflattering shots to the glossy images in magazines. I like to see the human underneath.”

Charlize on gaining weight for her role as Aileen Wuornos in Monster: “It’s naive and a little sweet that people think a weight gain constitutes acting. In the case of Aileen Wuornos, there were reasons for her size: She’d led a homeless life, and if you sleep under a bridge, you don’t go to the gym. Your body looks a certain way.”