Anya Taylor-Joy plays the younger version of Imperator Furiosa, a character earlier played to perfection by Charlize Theron, in the upcoming George Miller film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Taylor-Joy had a rough six months shooting for the film in the wastelands of Australia, often sacrificing her sleep and weekends for the same. She revealed that when she watched the unedited black-and-white footage of the film, she couldn’t even go through the first three minutes without crying.
Miller picked Anya Taylor-Joy for the role after her audition, where she performed lines from the 1976 film Network. Besides Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke also play the crucial roles of Warlord Dementus and Praetorian Jack respectively in the film.
Anya Taylor-Joy Was Traumatized Watching Her Performance in Furiosa
Anya Taylor-Joy appeared for an interview with Variety to promote her upcoming film, Furiosa. She opened up about her experiences going through one of her most challenging roles yet. Taylor-Joy recalled how she had to look dirty most of the time and had seven layers of makeup. She kept photos of her various makeup tests, which reminded her of those grueling days.
Audiences were taken aback when Charlize Theron appeared on screen as the metal-armed Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road. The film suggested that she had a rough life, which is exactly what The Queen’s Gambit actress had to portray in this film. Taylor-Joy shared that she felt like “a creature from Black Lagoon” when she first saw herself in the mirror with all the makeup.
At one point during the film, she realized that she hadn’t seen anybody who wasn’t in the wasteland makeup for almost two months, except for her cat Kitsune. George Miller placed several restrictions on her during filming, including filming her scenes with her jaw tightly clenched. These restrictions helped portray the character’s suppression in the film.
The pay-off to all these challenges came when she watched and rewatched the rough cut of the film. She revealed being traumatized by her performance. She shared with Variety:
“Within the first three minutes, I’m crying. And afterward, I cannot speak. I found it very traumatizing to watch.”
While Miller depended largely on practical effects in the 2015 film starring Theron, Furiosa uses more CGI. Taylor-Joy watched the version, where the CGI hadn’t been added yet, and it was her acting performance alone that left her speechless.
Anya Taylor-Joy Is The Perfect Casting To Play Charlize Theron’s Younger Version
In a year of big-budget releases from major franchises, Mad Max: Fury Road stood out with its gritty portrayal and especially the well-developed characters. Charlize Theron’s Furiosa was a woman of action who didn’t like to talk much in the film. It appears that Miller found the same qualities in his latest leading lady, Anya Taylor-Joy.
In her versatile career that began with The Witch, Taylor-Joy often portrayed intense characters who used their eyes to communicate. The Menu actress realized this only after doing the role in Miller’s film. She shared:
“Furiosa doesn’t talk much. She’s a pretty silent character. I hope that’s part of the reason George chose me. Until I was doing Furiosa, I didn’t quite realize that’s been a lot of my career — a lot of my career has played out in my eyes.”
The Last Night in Soho actress shared with PEOPLE that she hadn’t connected with Theron before filming out of respect for each other. Taylor-Joy later told EW that she had called her after the filming to exchange stories from the Mad Max sets.
Furiosa is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 24, 2024.
