Anya Taylor-Joy is back in action with the Mad Max franchise in an anticipated project, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga alongside Chris Hemsworth. Given that Charlize Theron initially portrayed the role in Mad Max: Fury Road, many are praising the former with which she embodied the latter’s legacy with her spectacular acting prowess.
With the movie already released in theaters, it may surprise many to learn that the lead actress sought advice from X-Men actor Nicholas Hoult. She chose to do this instead of approaching Charlize Theron, who could have offered valuable insights from being in her shoes at first.
Anya-Taylor Joy Took Advice from X-Men actor Nicholas Hoult for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Initially intended to be shot alongside Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga went through years of development hell. After eventually getting the green light, it was filmed in 2022 before eventually being released this month.
Since it took a long time to make its debut on the big screen eventually, titular actress, Anya-Taylor Joy had a lot to work on which is the very reason she turned to her friend and The Menu co-star Nicholas Hoult for advice.
Speaking with Total Film via Games Radar, she shared,
These movies are big, colossal beasts, and it’s a type of filmmaking where it’s all stitched together so surgically that you can feel a bit lost in it.
She eventually decided to seek her friend’s advice whose words are rather simple, “trust George”, referring to George Miller, the Mad Max franchise’s creator.
For the unversed, Hoult played the role of Nux, a War Boy in the service of the tyrannical Immortan Joe in the 2015 movie. Initially shown as a fervent follower of Immortan Joe, he participates in pursuing Theron’s Imperator Furiosa, who flees with his prized “wives.”
However, his character goes through a redemption arc as he ultimately sacrifices himself to help Furiosa and the others in their quest for freedom.
Why Didn’t Anya Taylor-Joy Seek Charlize Theron’s Advice
Even though the actress took Hoult’s advice on how she could manage to portray the Furiosa role in the franchise, it led many to wonder why she didn’t seek her predecessor’s help.
But the actress thinks a little differently as she revealed to EW that she wanted to establish her own interpretation of the titular character without reaching out to Charlize Theron.
You have to go on your own journey with it.
But that wouldn’t mean that the actress kept herself devoid of contacting her as she got in touch with her after wrapping up the production, with Theron giving her support.
But as soon as it was done, I reached out to her because I’m such a fan, not only of her as an actress but her as a person. And she’s as wonderful and cool as you could possibly hope, and really supportive and classy, so I appreciated it.
Theron has already been candid about her challenges in portraying the role previously which is more of a reason why The Queen’s Gambit actress wants to exchange “war stories“ with the Atomic Blonde star. Taylor-Joy told CNN,
We have emailed a bunch. We met at the Oscars, and she’s just as lovely and gracious and cool as you could imagine. We are due a very long dinner, just to swap war stories. But I feel so lucky to share a character with her. She’s one of my favorite actors and I just think she’s fabulous.
The new movie centers around a young Furiosa who seeks revenge on Chris Hemsworth’s Warlord Dementus for taking everything away from her. The ensemble cast also includes Tom Burke as Jack, Alyla Browne as young Furiosa, Nathan Jones as Rictus, Angus Sampson as the Organic Mechanic, Daniel Webber as War Boy, Charlee Fraser as Mary Jo Bassa and Lachy Hulme as Immortan Joe.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is now running in theatres.