Charlize's Sympathy for Dieters!

Charlize Theron has gained and lost many pounds for movie roles. Currently, Charlize is filling in her trashiest skinny jeans in her new movie Sleepwalking, in which she plays a mom who abandons her daughter for foster care.

But while her ups and downs have been purely career-driven, the Oscar winner, 32, empathizes with friends whose battles have been more personal. "I've been fascinated by people who lose a lot of weight," she told OK! at a junket promoting her movie, drawing a link between her character's belief that having a boyfriend will remove her woes and long-term dieters' similar expectations about their bodies.

"There's this excitement and joy when they have gastric bypass surgery, and they actually truly believe that once they lose the weight all their problems will be solved," said the actress. She continued, "That's just not how life works. Once they lose the weight, they realize that, and that's why they go and gain the weight back."

Her new movie Sleepwalking opens this month.