Charlize Theron’s Furiosa was easily one of the best aspects of George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Miller revealed that he was working on a Furiosa-centered prequel. But what was shocking to many is the fact that the director is eyeing a different actress to play the younger version of the character. Charlize Theron hasn’t said too much about the idea of someone else playing her famous heroine but, now that she’s opening up, it sounds like the development has been somewhat hard for her to accept.
While she has nothing but respect for George Miller, Charlize Theron admitted that it has been difficult to fathom the idea of Furiosa being played by someone else in the upcoming prequel. She’s especially a little heartbroken because of how much she loves the character and how long they spent crafting her:
It’s a tough one to swallow. Listen, I fully respect George, if not more so in the aftermath of making Fury Road with him. He’s a master, and I wish him nothing but the best. Yeah, it’s a little heartbreaking, for sure. I really love that character, and I’m so grateful that I had a small part in creating her. She will forever be someone I think of and reflect on fondly. Obviously, I would love to see that story continue, and if he feels like he has to go about it this way, then I trust him in that manner. We get so hung up on the smaller details that we forget the thing that we emotionally tap into has nothing to do with that minute thing that we’re focusing on.
While speaking with THR, Theron also highlighted the fact that roles like Furiosa don’t come along as often for actresses as they do for their male peers. She even cites this as motivation when going for roles within the action genre:
A lot of women don’t get a second chance, but when men make these movies and fail miserably, they get chance after chance after chance to go and explore that again. That doesn’t necessarily happen for women. Fury Road came a good decade after Æon Flux, and there’s always been that voice in the back of my head that still somewhat responds to that. I’m still influenced by that, and it’s one thing that drives me. It’s unfortunate that we feel like the opportunity will be taken away from us in a heartbeat if we don’t succeed, but that is the truth. It’s not a very forgiving genre when it comes to women.
George Miller has previously acknowledged his decision not to cast Charlize Theron and partially attributed his desire to find a new actress to the limits on de-aging technology. While he believes there have been strides on that front, he still thinks it’s not sufficient enough to de-age Theron for an entire film.
Aside from Theron, Mad Max: Fury Road star Zoë Kravitz has also offered her thoughts on the Furiosa prequel, and she offered a more optimistic perspective. Having worked with George Miller, she puts her trust in him to tell a story fitting of the character.
It’s good to see that the character of Furiosa will live on, but it’s honestly bittersweet that Theron won’t be the one portraying her on the big screen. She has definitely proven to be passionate about the character, and she makes good points about action roles not being as plentiful for women.
Thankfully, movie buffs will get to see Charlize Theron take on a new action role in Netflix’s The Old Guard, which is scheduled to be released on July 10.
