Charlize Theron Opens Up About 'Badass' Mom Who Searches for Daughter in New Her Netflix DocInto the Fire(Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Charlize Theron.Photo:Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Any hopes and dreams she had for Alexis were shattered in 2010 when officials contacted her asking her for a DNA sample to see if remains that had been found in Wisconsin were those of her daughter.

Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter. (L to R) Cathy Terkanian and Edward Terkanian in Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter.Courtesy of Netflix

Courtesy of Netflix

Thus began her quest to find out what happened to Alexis, no matter what. “I saw the fire and I walked right in it,” she says in the trailer.

The more Terkanian learned about her daughter’s life, the more she had a gut feeling that something had gone horribly wrong.

“There’s the story they’re telling you,” Terkanian says in the trailer. “And then there’s the likely story.”

She adds: “I could just feel it in my bones.”

Terkanian’s 10-year search for the shocking truth about her daughter is detailed in the gripping newNetflix two-part documentary,Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter.The documentary is currently streaming, and a trailer is shown below.

PEOPLE spoke to Theron via email about how she learned about Terkanian, how she set out to make a documentary about her tireless search for justice, and what she hopes will happen as a result of telling Terkanian’s heartbreaking story.

How did you find out about Cathy Terkanian?

I found Nile Cappello’s fantastic article inThe Atavistwhen I was doing my nightly scrolling through Apple News on my phone. The title and tagline hooked me, and once I started reading it I was blown away. I instantly sent it to my partners at my production company and said “we have to do this.” The next day we were off to the races.

What drew you to Cathy’s incredible story?

Her determination, resilience and honestly how badass she was! She never let anyone tell her no, she trusted her instincts, and she is a true personification of the power of motherhood.

Cathy Terkanian.Courtesy of Netflix

Tell me how you ended up bringing this story to Ryan White and his team.

When we got the article, we made a shortlist of filmmakers we wanted to work with. And when I say short, it was pretty much just Ryan! We’ve been of fan of his from afar for years, and we took a swing and sent it to his team. And thankfully he and his producing partner Jessica Hargrave saw the potential we saw in the story.

Why did you want to do a documentary about this?

There’s so much true crime out there nowadays, and trust me I love it, but this felt different. A story that touches on the complexities of adoption, motherhood, found family. You don’t see that too often in this genre – it felt fresh and much needed.

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How would you describe Cathy?

I think Sue Engweiler summed it up pretty well in our doc – she’s a pit bull with lipstick! Tenacious and bold, yet kind and maternal. You really get the best of both worlds with Cathy.

Was making the documentary emotional for you in any way?

What do you hope viewers take away fromInto the Fire?

Do you plan on doing more documentaries?

A ton more! Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with docs, and our production company Secret Menu is making a huge push in the space. We have a handful of projects in early development right now, and one really exciting one that’s gearing up to shoot that we’ll be announcing very soon!

Into the Fire: The Lost Daughteris currently streaming on Netflix.

source: people.com