South African-born actress Charlize Theron made an appearance at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Friday (6 February), delivering a message focused on peace at Milano San Siro Stadium.
The 50-year-old actress, known for her role in Mad Max: Fury Road, as well as her role in Monster which earned her a best actress Oscar, addressed themes of harmony and global unity during the ceremony, which featured athletes from competing nations.
Theron’s participation continues a tradition of Olympic opening ceremonies featuring artists and public figures who represent values beyond sport.
This is not the actress’s first involvement with the Olympic Games. In 2024, she co-hosted a “Prelude to the Olympic Games” event at Paris 2024 alongside tennis player Serena Williams.
Connection to Milano
Theron has personal ties to Milano, the host city of the opening ceremony. At the age of 17, she lived in the city for a year with her mother whilst working as a model, before relocating to the United States to pursue an acting career.
The Italian city also features in her filmography. Early scenes from The Italian Job, released in 2003, were filmed on location in Italy.
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Humanitarian work
Beyond her film career, Theron has been active in humanitarian work for more than two decades. In 2007, she established the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, an organisation that supports the health, education and safety of young people in southern Africa, with particular focus on HIV/AIDS prevention and gender-based violence.
In 2008, she was appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace, a role through which she advocates for youth empowerment and public health initiatives globally.
Theron has consistently used her public platform to speak about violence, inequality and discrimination.
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