Charlize Theron would be "in therapy" if she wasn't an actress. The 'Monster' star claims Hollywood has saved her from a lifetime of counseling following her highly traumatic childhood.

The 32-year-old actress said: "It is incredibly cathartic to be able to go to work and deal with your demons. It really helps me cope with a lot of things in my life and that's such a great blessing. I always said that if I didn't have this job I probably would be in therapy."

The South African actress - who stars opposite Tommy Lee Jones and Susan Sarandon in new movie 'In the Valley of Elah' - watched her mother Gerda shoot her abusive father Charles dead at the family's Johannesburg home when she was just 15 years old.

Charlize said in her official police statement: "My father said he would shoot us both dead with his shotgun. My mother said she was afraid he would kill us. The next moment I heard a number of shots. Then I heard her screaming."

"When I went into the passage, I saw my father's brother standing. My mother was sitting in a corner of the bedroom. My mother wept and said, Charlize, I've shot them. Then I saw the body of my father."

Gerda was never prosecuted over the shooting.