- Top officials and ordinary South Africans celebrate their new international movie star, Charlize Theron, who was awarded the 2004 Best Actress Oscar. President Thabo Mbeki today warmly congratulated Ms Theron and likened her Oscar with the Nobel Prizes previously awarded to South Africans.
- No less than the Nobel Prizes for Peace and Literature that the free South Africa has previously taken from the honours-shelves of the world, the award of the Best Actress Oscar to Charlize Theron is a triumph of new South African opportunity, said a statement released by the South African Presidency today.
Ms Theron, born a South African farm girl, won this year's Oscar for best actress for the Hollywood drama "Monster". In the movie, the natural beauty was transformed into a weird serial-killer where good masking and even better acting totally covered her otherwise sympathetic appearance.
With her lead role in "Monster", the South African actress had demonstrated that she was more than just another pretty face in Hollywood. The former model gave the role of "the monster" a believable face in the dramatisation of the life and deeds of real-life female serial killer Aileen Wuornos - US woman who was executed in 2002.
The news of the Oscar award for Ms Theron rapidly became the event of the week in South Africa, turning attention away from the dull start of the country's election campaigns. President Mbeki today took note of these events and issued a statement, saying he and his ANC colleagues "rejoice in the recognition by the most critical minds in filming that Charlize Theron is pure gold. We are all immensely proud of this our South African daughter and wish her well."
- Ms Theron, who is able to command all of the cosmetic glamour and hype that naturally go with Hollywood stardom, has fittingly won this great prize for her performance in a film, 'Monster' that demonstrates her far more profound qualities, the South African Presidency said, following yesterday's awards.
More compliments were added by Mr Mbeki: "In this film we see her drawing on her innate tough-mindedness and her own emotional stamina in overcoming the tragic personal circumstances of her own early life, in order to shine. Ms Theron, in her own personal life, represents a grand metaphor of South Africa's move from agony to achievement."
Also South Africa's film industry today celebrated its home-grown movie star. The national industry is experiencing a great growth and hopes to see Ms Theron adding to South Africa's cinema fame - hopefully even taking up a role in a local movie.
Also 'SA Film', South Africa's leading filmmaking media, had been "behind Charlize all the way" because of her "outstanding performance" and "hard work" to be successful. No doubt that Ms Theron will be celebrated as a hero when she soon is to return to South Africa.
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