Charlize Theron says it is ''exhausting'' holding onto her characters.

The 'Bombshell' star isn't a fan of method acting - where an actor takes on a character and continues portraying it, even when off set until filming is over - and says she is too ''lazy'' and busy to keep it up.

Speaking about method acting, she said: ''I go to my trailer, I take my make-up off and I go home. I don't know how people stay in ­character. I'm too lazy. I've got two kids to raise and I have dog s**t to pick up in the backyard. I don't know how you do that in ­character. It's exhausting. It's so f***ing exhausting. I learned pretty early on, the more I let go, the better - which, in the beginning, was harder for me - but now I'm very disciplined about it.''

However, Charlize does like to find a ''very personal connection'' with her characters and ''understand'' them as a person.

She added: ''I've built a career on playing people you don't like. For me, it's a very personal connection that I have to find with the person I'm playing. It has to make sense. I have to get to a place where I can say, 'This makes sense. This emotional human in front of me, I relate, I understand.'''

The 44-year-old actress' key focus is her two children - August and Jackson - and her schedule is completely worked around them.

She told the Daily Mirror newspaper: ''I get up with them at 5.30am every day. I make them breakfast and pack their lunches. On weekends, we hang out with family and friends. I'll cook lasagne or steak.''