When asked to name some things Charlize Theron had as a child, you might say "exposure to apartheid," "an abusive, alcoholic father," or "an extensive knowledge of classical ballet techniques."

One thing you should not say is "teeth."

As Theron recently told British tabloid The Sun (was she really talking to The Sun?), those she didn't get until age 11:

"My early childhood was quite devastating. I had no teeth until I was 11. I had these fangs because I had jaundice when I was a kid and I was put on so many antibiotics that my teeth rotted. They had to cut them out. So I never had [baby] teeth."

Note: Add jaundice and fangs to the list of things Charlize Theron had as a child.

As you might expect, having no teeth was rough on young Charlize, particularly when picture day rolled around:

"That was tough, you know, being in school having photos taken while I was pretending I had teeth. It was hideous."

What do you think she meant by that exactly — "pretending I had teeth"?

Was she pretending she had teeth behind a closed-mouth smile (often the most flattering of smiles anyway, though they can make you look slightly sad)? Or was it more of an Emperor's New Clothes situation, in which she was able to trick everyone into believing she had teeth, simply by virtue of her confidence?

In any case, she's just lovely now and has enough money to buy all the baby teeth she wants.

Or she could harvest them for free from her newly-adopted son Jackson, when his grow in.

Do you, Charlize.

[The Sun via NYDN // Image via Getty]