Piling on kilos left Charlize ‘depressed’

New role forced her to embark on fatty diet

SHE plays an overweight and overwhelmed mother in her new film, Tully, which hits theatres next month.

And after gaining 22 kilograms for the role, Charlize Theron has revealed she was left feeling depressed after embarking on a fatty diet which saw her gorging on mac and cheese at 2am.

“I wanted to feel what this woman felt, and I think that was a way for me to get closer to her and get into that mindset,’ the 42-year-old star told entertainment reporters.

“You know, it was a huge surprise to me. I got hit in the face pretty hard with depression. Yeah, for the first time in my life I was eating so much processed foods and I drank way too much sugar. I was not that fun to be around.”

Theron said she had to eat around the clock to keep the weight on and would even have burgers and milkshakes for breakfast.

“The first three weeks are always fun because you’re just like a kid in a candy store. And then after three weeks, it’s not fun any more. Like, all of a sudden you’re just done eating all that and then it becomes a job.”

The actress said she’d have food ready by her bed for midnight snacks, including a cup of cold macaroni and cheese.

“I remember having to set my alarm in the middle of the night. I would wake up and just, like, shove it in my throat. It’s hard to maintain that weight.”

The Oscar-winning star, who is mom to Jackson, six, and August, two, said her weight gain confused her kids ands they both thought she was pregnant at one point.

And as for when it came time to shed the weight, Theron admitted it took a year-and-a half and “it was like hell”.

“I was worried – this is taking a really long time. Because on Monster, I just didn’t snack for five days and I was fine. You know, your body at 27 is a little different than your body at 43, and my doctor made sure to make me very aware of that.”

In Tully, Theron plays Marlo, a mother of three who is gifted a night nanny by her brother. – Daily Mail