Charlize Theron says she doesn't work for money

Charlize Theron insist she doesn't work for money - because she prefers to live a "low-maintenance" life and is not interested in picking "giant" films to fund an expensive Hollywood existence.

The Oscar winning actress - who recently took 18 months off work to travel around Europe with actor boyfriend Stuart Townsend, said: "My life comes first, then my job. I'm incredibly lucky to be in a position where I don't have to work all the time to live.

"I live a very simple life. I don't have to make these giant movies. I don't have a yacht or a private plane. As long as I can maintain this life, which is pretty low-maintenance and simple, then all of a sudden you don't have to worry about all that stuff. It's such a blessed place to be in. I don't have to take a job to pay a mortgage on a house that I can't afford."

The 32-year-old Hollywood babe also revealed her ambition is to produce and star in a film set in her home country, South Africa.

She told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper: "Maybe it would be a story of hope.

"It's been almost 15 years, and South Africans want some light at the end of a tunnel. But it would have to be the right story. And I haven't found that story for myself yet."