Charlize Theron's two daughters, Jackson and August, may be smart, but they still fall for the oldest trick in the book.
Talking with ET's Cassie DiLaura on Saturday from the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project's 4th Annual Block Party, the 48-year-old Mad Max: Fury Road star opened up about using reverse psychology on her kids to instill the right values in her 11 and 7-year-old.
The South African native -- who enlisted friends like Lainey Wilson and Tanner Adell to raise more than $1 million with her annual fundraiser, according to one report -- said that when it comes to her parenting style, she has a few different methods she uses.
"I mean, I think I just live it," Theron said of how she teaches her daughters to help others, adding, "I think the thing that I've learned as a parent, is like, as soon as you tell them to do something, they don't do it so. Reverse psychology is what I believe in."
Charlize Theron attends the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project 2024 Block Party at Universal Studios Backlot on July 13, 2024 in Universal City, California
Theron -- who launched the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) in 2007 -- said that for her, she tries to lead by example and that starts with her organization. CTAOP seeks to remedy major issues in Africa, including sexual and reproductive healthcare discrepancies, gender-based violence, HIV/Aids and lack of accessible education materials for young Africans, according to its website.
For the mom of two -- who welcomed her daughters via adoption in 2012 and 2015 -- she says that the best she can hope for is that they take after the passion for philanthropy that they've seen from their mom.
"This is something that I fell in love with before my children came into my life. It's part of me now. It's been 17 years," she said. "They have really seen me be a part of this and work towards making this as successful as possible. And so hopefully, [they learn] through that."
The Monster Academy Award winner continued, "But also, I hope that they will find their own interests."
Just last year, Theron spoke with ET about motherhood and shared that her kids may be growing up a little too fast for her own liking. She said at the time that her eldest daughter is branching out from their family of three.
"My oldest daughter went to the movie with a bunch of friends," Theron told ET in November. "Yeah, she doesn't wanna do that stuff with me anymore. She's just like, 'Mom, just drop me off at the mall, please, please!'"
Jackson did relent for Theron's 48th in August as the trio enjoyed Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert together in Los Angeles, which Theron shared a sweet snippet of on her Instagram.
"It looked like I was being a good mom, but I was actually really happy," she admitted.
In that same interview, Theron said that Swift isn't the only thing that she shares in common with her daughters. She proudly admitted that her daughters had inherited her good-natured demeanor and were interested in helping others.
"My youngest daughter is incredibly interested, and she's done little speeches at her school about it," Theron explained. "I just take a step back because I want them to discover this for themselves. I don't want them to be mini me's. Just be good people. That's what I want them to be."
In her latest sit-down, the Fast X star said that it's that sense of charity and spirit to give back that keeps her moving with CTAOP and the annual block party, which is held each year in July and even brings some young students to come celebrate.
"I think the thing that really makes me so happy is that we are, first of all, supported to be able to have a night like this. And that we also get to fly some of our students our graduates and our program leaders," she shared, adding, "So that they can really share their narrative."
"And I absolutely feel thrilled that we get to have that tonight," Theron continued, "It's really special."
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