Charlize Theron’s portrayal of Furiosa in George Miller’s Academy Award-winning Mad Max: Fury Road was possibly as crucial to the film’s success as were the titular character of Max and the death-defying action sequences. It was praised as one of the best movies of 2015 and possibly one of the best action movies of all time. It was no surprise to anyone when Miller announced a Furiosa spinoff film. However, there was a bit of heartbreak for Theron, when the director announced he would be looking for someone other than Theron to play the younger version of the one-armed war captain in. The Bombshell actress is now getting honest about Anya Taylor-Joy, who was announced to be taking on the part, not reaching out to her about the role.
The South African-born actress sat down with The Hollywood Reporter for an interview in which she discussed everything, from loving the more challenging parts of her work to how she feels about not returning to the sand and chrome-covered post-apocalyptic Wasteland envisioned by George Miller. She also discussed her successor in the role of Furiosa. Though Anya Taylor-Joy didn't connect with her to discuss the role, Charlize Theron can understand why. She told THR:
No, but I get that. It’s always tricky. Who wants to pick up the phone and say, like, ‘Hey, we’re going to go do this without you.’ No one wants to do that. So, I totally get that. And I love George. I know I’ll talk to him again. I think it was just too hard.
The 47-year-old actress, who is never afraid to speak her mind, is relatively open to future collaborations with George Miller, which might surprise some fans. Mad Max: Fury Road was a notoriously long and grueling shoot with many reported behind-the-scenes blowups. A feud was sparked between the two leads, which, according to stunt doubles, affected the film’s shooting.
The Monster star doesn’t hold any grudges over Miller’s choice to hire Anya Taylor-Joy to take over the part she originated. As a matter of fact, she later took the opportunity to praise the Witch actress. She continued:
Listen, I’m not mad about Miller doing a prequel instead of a sequel. One of the greatest fucking actresses [Anya Taylor-Joy] is picking up something that I only imagined.
Though Charlize Theron and Anya Taylor-Joy haven’t officially met, but The Queen’s Gambit star had nothing but respectful things to say about the original Furiosa actress. At the NYC premiere of her new film The Menu, Taylor-Joy made it clear that she had a lot of love and respect for the Fast and Furious star. While she revealed at the premiere that the two have yet to have a conversation, she hopes to have dinner soon to swap “war stories.”
Mad Max: Furiosa will explode on cinema screens on May 24, 2024. Fans of Anya Taylor-Joy can catch the actress in The Menu, which is in cinemas now. In addition, you can check out Charlize Theron’s work in Mad Max: Fury Road, which is currently available to rent on Amazon Prime Video. And to learn more about upcoming films that are headed to theaters, check out our 2023 movie release schedule.
