Charlize Theron on how times have changed since her school days

CEBU, Philippines - Most people probably wouldn't believe that Charlize Theron was ever an ugly duckling but the South African-American actress insists boys hardly looked at her in school.

In an interview for her new movie Young Adult, the 36-year-old describes how thanks to her mother she was not the cool, attractive person we know today.

She said: “I wasn’t necessarily a part of that group, where girls were happy to have me in the popular group. I had these big nerdy round glasses that I cannot believe my mother sent me to school with.

“I mean seriously. It just made every boy not look at me.”

Despite not being 'popular' among her school friends the Hollywood actress has had the last laugh with her string of successful movies including her Oscar winning turn in Monster.

She said: “It’s interesting because I’ve just recently rediscovered the popular girl in my school. She is living in some little dopey city now. I don’t know exactly all the details but I was thinking to myself; 'I bet she has moments like Mavis, where she has a pang of nostalgia for her shiny days in school'.”

Theron added: “So suck it popular girl who did not want me to sit next to you at your school bench and make me cry. Suck it!”

Young Adult, a low budget comedy drama directed by Jason Reitman, is Charlize's first movie since she provided a voice for animated movie Astro Boy back in 2009.

The film sees her star as Mavis Gray, a writer of teen literature and one-time school bully who returns to her small hometown to recapture her youth.

Once there, she embarks on a mission to reclaim her now happily married high school sweetheart, played by Patrick Wilson.

What attracted Theron to the role of Mavis was the unconventional nature of the film and the way that her character is not a traditional love story heroine.

She said: “You know when people fall in love and they fall in love because they love the same things? Well these two characters fall in love because they hate the same things! I love that.”

Charlize added: “This sets the tone of that relationship. Because it is a love story but it’s a backwards kind of love story.”