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Nearly a decade after Charlize Theron brought the character Furiosa to life in "Mad Max: Fury Road," the saga continues with the latest installment from director George Miller, "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." This prequel, hitting theaters on Friday, delves into the origins of Furiosa, with Anya Taylor-Joy stepping into the iconic role, portraying the fierce heroine during her formative years.
In a recent interview with CNN, Taylor-Joy expressed her admiration for Theron and revealed that they have been in regular contact since she took on the role. "We have emailed a bunch. We met at the Oscars, and she's just as lovely and gracious and cool as you could imagine," Taylor-Joy shared. "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."
Taylor-Joy felt a deep connection to Furiosa even before reading the script for the new film. "I was lucky enough to fall in love with Furiosa through Charlize's interpretation in 'Fury Road.' I thought that the character was just somebody who had really stuck with me," she said, reflecting on the powerful impact of Theron's performance.
Initially, Miller considered using de-aging technology to bring Theron back as Furiosa but ultimately decided against it. "Way back, my intention was to do it with Charlize. But almost 10 years has gone by, and then I thought, 'Oh, we'll try the de-aging,'" Miller explained. However, after observing de-aging technology in films by renowned directors like Martin Scorsese and Ang Lee, he found it distracting. "What you tend to do is only see the technology — you're not really watching performance. So there's a risk of distracting."
Instead, Miller turned to Taylor-Joy, captivated by her talent and unique presence. "I didn't know who could play it," he admitted. "After watching another one of Anya's films, I thought, 'Holy cow – there's someone who could take this on.' She's got that sort of mystique – a timeless quality, a wonderful intensity, almost regal."
Joining Taylor-Joy in the film is Chris Hemsworth, taking on a villainous role far removed from his familiar portrayal of Thor. "This was a huge departure from anything I had done before," Hemsworth told CNN. Transforming into the character Dementus, Hemsworth donned a prosthetic nose, fake teeth, and long hair. "The prosthetics, the hair, the makeup provides so much of that, as do the sets and everything involved. It's much easier to lose yourself in the moment and in the headspace of the individual you're playing," he said.
Miller revealed that the character of Dementus had been conceived years ago, even before 2015's "Fury Road." "We had some concept art and I wanted him to have this sort of almost Roman emperor nose," Miller said, noting that the early designs looked nothing like Hemsworth.
"Furiosa" marks the fifth film in Miller's "Mad Max" franchise, and the director hinted at more stories to come. "Just as we wrote the story for Furiosa, we've written a story for Max in the year before we meet him in 'Fury Road,'" Miller teased. "So, I know what happens to him, and I've certainly speculated about what happens after 'Fury Road.'"
Jeff Ian
