Theron directed by boyfriend in 'Battle'

NEW YORK, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- South African-born actress Charlize Theron says she has never seen her longtime beau Stuart Townsend happier than when he was directing "Battle in Seattle."

The film, set against the backdrop of the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, marks Irish actor Townsend's feature writing and directing debut. Theron has a supporting role in the movie.

"He loved it. I've never seen him so happy, which hurts my feelings," Theron jokingly told reporters in New York this week. "We would go on vacation to Fiji and be like, 'Romance!' and he'd have a pile of (research,) and I'd be like, 'Oh, my God, this is so not sexy.' ... But that passion paid off for him as a first-time director. I think he saw this story visually. I think for me as an actor, working with him was great, because he created a set that was effortless. There was nothing forced, there was nothing pushed. It was quiet, just great."

"She's a very low-maintenance, no-nonsense, likes-to-have-fun-on-set kind of girl," Townsend told the journalists about Theron. "She did call me by my pet name a couple of times and the crew then started calling me by my pet name and I was like: 'That is not cool. I'm trying to be a serious director here!' … It was fun. I was making my first movie. She was as excited as I was."