Charlize Theron: Yes, I’ve swum in the lady pond

South African Oscar-winning star Charlize Theron has revealed that she’s been intimate with women in the past.

The actor, who is promoting her new action thriller Atomic Blonde, spoke about her sexuality with Andy Cohen on his Watch What Happens Live chat show.

In the film, Theron portrays bisexual British superspy Lorraine Broughton and shares a sizzling sex scene with a female French spy (played by Sofia Boutella).

Theron was asked by a viewer who called in to Cohen’s show why she felt it so important that her Atomic Blonde character be bisexual.

“Why not?” replied a bemused Theron, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s so strange when we talk so much about it. It should be normalised by now.”

She continued: “It’s something that I feel is not represented enough in cinema and I feel that when you make movies… if you’re going to hold that mirror up and reflect society, then you should reflect society.”

Cohen then asked Theron if she had “ever swum in the lady pond,” to which she responded: “When I was young, yes!”

She added: “I feel when you’re young you’re just kind of exploring it all…but it was pretty clear that I really like dudes.”

Theron has previously played LGBT characters, including the Oscar winning role of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster.

In 2012, she was honoured by America’s largest LGBT rights group, the Human Rights Campaign, for being a vocal ally to the LGBT community. “I will always be your cheerleader and I will always be your friend,” she said at the time.

Theron further showed her support for the LGBT community when she promised not to get married until marriage equality became a reality in the US.

She is also a passionate advocate in the battle against HIV and powerfully called for an end to “sexism, racism, poverty and homophobia” at last year’s International Aids Conference in Durban.

Atomic Blonde is set for a South African cinema release on 25 August. Watch the trailer below.