Here are some photos of Charlize Theron hanging out with a bunch of dudes while on vacation in Hawaii last week. Notice that none of these guys are Seth MacFarlane because she’s not his type (*snort*). It does look like she’s still in the game for his Blazing Saddles-esque cowboy comedy that is expected to arrive in theaters at some point in 2014.

At the moment, however, Charlize is rather occupied with shooting Dark Places. Dark Places is by author Gillian Flynn, who went on to pen Gone Girl. Of course Gone Girl is receiving all the interesting casting news these days. In contrast, Dark Places has seen a more troubled production. Amy Adams was initially lined up to play Libby Day but pulled out, then Charlize took over. I guess they’ve probably put Charlize in a blonde wig with fiery red roots. I cannot even come close to imagining how difficult this shoot must be because the book never struck me as something that should be put to film. It’s just a very brutal, hard-hitting thriller with (to me) an unsatisfying ending. Apparently, it’s also dredging up all sorts of bad memories for poor Charlize:

Charlize Theron’s new role is giving her nightmares!

The stunning Academy Award winner is producing and starring in the film version of the best-selling thriller Dark Places.

In it, she plays Libby Day, a tormented soul who witnessed at age 7 the ruthless slaying of her mother and two sisters, in what appears to be a satanic cult ritual.

The story line hits very clsoe to home for the South African-born actress, who was 15 when she witnessed the slaying of her abusive, booze-swilling dad — by her own mother.

Charlize’s mom grabbed a shotgun and blasted away the man who had threatened their lives duirng drunken rage. The shooting was ruled self-defense and Charlize’s mother, Gerda Maritz, faced no charges.

The actress has called her father’s death “the great tragedy of my life.”

And while the 38-year-old has tried to move on from the traumatic experience, she’s still haunted by the incident, says the source.

“Charlize finds the Dark Places project troubling but somewhat cleansing, because it’s bringing up a lot of the gruesome memories that she’s long blocked out,” said the source.

“She’s having a hard time with it, but dealing with it. She says she’s making this film for every child who’s gone through and moved on from a terrible tragedly like the one she had to endure.”

[From Star, print edition, September 2, 2013]

Damn, I seem to recall hearing this awful story about Charlize’s parents years ago, but it completely slipped my mind, and I can definitely see why playing Libby would really hit home for Charlize. She must be a very strong person to find this project to be “cleansing.”

Ooh, and I just peeked over at the movie’s IMDb page and see that Nicholas Hoult is playing creepy-but-nice Lyle. Chloe Moretz is playing Diondra. Those two seem pretty perfect for those roles.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN