Charlize Theron, who recently won a Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of executed Florida death row inmate Aileen Wuornos in the movie “Monster,” has stated that making the movie made her more aware of how “ineffective” capital punishment is. Theron, who is opposed to the death penalty, was only 15 when her own mother shot and killed her drunken father after he threatened to kill his wife and daughter. “I don’t think condemning people who murder and then killing them necessarily sends out the right message. And I have a huge problem with the way these people are used as political pawns,” said Theron, a native of South Africa. Theron’s portrayal of Wuornos showed her as a homeless prostitute who was sentenced to die for a series of murders she committed after a killing in self defense. Theron has also been nominated for a best actress Academy Award. (Reuters, February 8, 2003) See New Voices and Women and the Death Penalty.

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