When George Miller, Australian filmmaker and creator of the of the Mad Max franchise, was casting for the lead role in his latest instalment Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, he considered the actor who made the character a legend, a shaven-headed Charlize Theron. Then he decided against her reprising her performance. He blamed the CGI de-ageing technology, saying it wasn't advanced enough yet to convincingly tell the story that took place 20 years before the previous film, with Theron in the lead role. In Mad Max: Fury Road, Theron plays Imperator Furiosa a lieutenant in the evil warlord Immortan Joe's army. Millers's latest film goes back in time 20 years and Anya Taylor-Joy plays the younger version of Theron, Furiosa, as she's snatched from the Green Place of Many Mothers, finding herself in the hands of a biker horde led by the warlord Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth. Unlike Tom Hardy playing Mad Max and Theron, who famously clashed on set, Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth had high praise for each other:
Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa
What did you think on first reading the screenplay for Furiosa?
ATJ: I believe certain characters are meant for certain actors. If they’re not meant for you, it’s your responsibility to catch and release so they find their proper owner. I remember reading Furiosa, thinking, “I feel this character already. I know this is going to be an intense experience.” It rang true for me.
The script was detailed — Miller included illustrations and book passages — but there's an alchemy to turning words into a living character. What was the key to finding Furiosa?
ATJ: More than any other project, when you work on a Miller script you approach it academically for the first two weeks before setting foot on set. You discuss everything. George said, “Why are we making this movie? Pitch me this film.” The Mad Max films, while wildly entertaining, serve as a cautionary tale of what happens to people when they’re pushed to extremes.
Miller complimented you on the richness of the collaboration and what you brought to the character. How did that play out as you went on this journey together?
ATJ: If you’re lucky enough to work with auteurs, you must learn to speak their language. I enjoyed learning to speak George Miller. There were a few things I felt should be in the film — that they deserved to be there. If you plant a seed months before the scene with George, check on it daily, and then it makes it into the film, you feel a sense of accomplishment. You know your argument for it to be in the film was well-rounded enough that your “university professor” was like, “Yeah, you’re right, it should be in.”
What was it like to be in the world Miller has been constructing for four decades?
ATJ: Unbelievable. Though I was focused, there were times when I'd snap out of wherever I was in Furiosa’s mind and think, “As a child, this is all I wanted.” I'd like to travel back in time and tell my eight-year-old self, “This is going to be your legitimate job; this is going to be something people ask you to do; this is going to be your nine to five.” The richness of the world and the unbelievable builds on this movie — and the rides — mean you're not only a performer but also a fan. I had my film camera with me and took unbelievable photographs — I was geeking out.
Furiosa is a badass, yet you fill her with nuance and choices that make her compelling. There are action sequences and quieter moments. How did you balance Furiosa?
ATJ: George had specific images of how he wanted her face to look. As a performer I had to convey things with my eyes for a large portion of the film. That can feel challenging as an actor. The Wasteland isn't a place that accepts vulnerability or show of emotion, so it made emotional moments hard-won and satisfying when they came around.
What does Chris Hemsworth bring to Dementus? What was it like to create a dynamic between this mercurial warlord and a warrior in the making?
ATJ: My relationship with Chris is nothing like Dementus and Furiosa’s relationship. We're supportive friends who respect one another. I was excited to hear he was going to be taking big swings with the character. I don’t think he had fun being in the makeup chair four hours every morning but he’s a trooper and doesn’t complain. I felt a kinship in that. We’re both not “precious” actors. I like working with people who put the work first.
You say there's no room in the Wasteland for vulnerability and yet Tom Burke, as Praetorian Jack, is an emotional oasis for Furiosa. What was it like to work with him?
ATJ: I adore that man. It makes me emotional — I feel like he's that rare flower that blooms in the Wasteland because he's decent. Praetorian Jack has dignity and a pure heart. When Furiosa first encounters that she can’t believe it, but you need it in the Wasteland among all these mad people.
Are you a licensed driver now?
ATJ: Not yet. I’m never in a place long enough while not working to get my bloody driver’s licence.
How long was the preparation for the film?
ATJ: George asked, “How many of the stunts are you willing to do?” And I said, “Anything and everything you'll let me do.” So the first thing I learnt to do in a car was a juicy lift 180. It was gratifying to learn motorbikes and cars at the same time because it meant the car felt safe by comparison — I was like, “I’ve got this! I have a shell.”
Why is the evolution of her look intrinsic to the character?
ATJ: I was ready to shave my head. Then in true George form he saw me touch my hair and said, “It’s beautiful, we can’t.” And I was like, “Wait, what?” But he made a good point — we were telling a story that takes place over 15 years — an easy way to show time moving is through losing hair and growing it back. What I took from it was: There’s a part of Furiosa that believes for a portion of this film that she'll return to the Green Place as she was and that this world won’t have changed her. By the time you see her transform into the character we know there's a loss of innocence and hope gone. She won't be able to return to the Green Place as the girl she was — I attached that symbolism to her hair.
What do you want audiences to take from this odyssey?
ATJ: Mad Max movies are wildly entertaining but they're also cautionary tales. This is a movie about people pushed to extremes, they have an emotional journey within this mad, mad world.
Chris Hemsworth as (Dementus)
As an Australian can you describe the impact of Miller's films on you?
CH: I watched Crocodile Dundee and Mad Max growing up. They had a huge impact on my cinematic experience and my decision to be an actor. I have vivid memories of talking about the motorbikes, the cars and the world George created with my dad, who raced motorbikes then, and knew some of the stunt riders. To be a part of the world, years down the track, I feel like that young child again watching the film for the first time.
Can you remember what filled your mind when you read the script?
CH: I remember being impressed. It wasn't a traditional script. It had storyboards, imagery and passages of information like you’d see in a novel, and then dialogue and scenes. It informed the world and gave a deep understanding of what the film was going to be about.
What were some of the keys to finding Dementus?
CH: There were discussions before we started shooting about psychology and philosophy, about dictators and dominant figures throughout history with the common trait of presenting themselves as omnipresent, ethereal and godlike, with the ability to manipulate a vulnerable group of people by saying, “I know your problems, I know who caused them. I know what your fears are and I know how to solve them.” We wanted to ingrain the character with the trait of manipulation, as we see with dictators, from the way he spoke to the ideas and specifics on what he talked about, and even the physical presentation of the Wasteland’s version of an emperor. How he dresses and moves. What sort of flamboyance and charisma does he display to rally this hoard of bikers and followers?
Miller is a collaborative director. How did that play out when crafting Dementus?
CH: It was a luxury to have had conversations for years before shooting — a constant investigation and discovery of what we were going to do. We had the script, the Bible. It changed in some ways but it was our North Star. If changes were made they were due to a number of creative discussions: “Could we intensify this moment? Could we emphasise an action sequence or a violent act?” George knows every angle of this process and has been making this franchise for 45 years, but he still welcomes opinions. I felt privileged to have a seat at the table and offer ideas.
What does Anya Taylor-Joy bring to Furiosa as a lone figure in a madman’s world.
CH: There’s a lot of suppression of vulnerability and fear due to the character’s survival mechanism and being in the Wasteland, not being able to show anything that remotely resembles empathy, vulnerability, weakness or fear, but it bubbles beneath the surface, a well of knowledge, experience, emotion, feelings and strength. There are few people who can say much by doing little. Anya has that gift and is fiercely protective of the character. That helped inform the way my character operated. For her to feel such disgust, resentment and rage toward him — I needed to provide enough stimulus to justify her feelings.
You spent time in the makeup chair. How did that contribute to your portrayal?
CH: I was picked up at 3am from the hotel and spent four hours in the makeup chair. It birthed a (justifiable) pent-up rage that I displayed in front of the camera. I used it to my advantage. It was a lesson in stillness — I’m not great at sitting still. I’ve got a tendency to fidget and be distracted. It gave me time to think about the character.
What kind of experience is in store for the audience?
CH: What’s unique about this film, even compared to the others in the Mad Max franchise, is that it takes place over 15 years, so the expanse is greater. There's a Shakespearean “epic-ness”: the shuffling of power and battle of wits from The Immortan Joe, Dementus and Furiosa, fighting over resources — Gas Town, Bullet Farm, The Citadel — for survival. It's high octane, adrenaline-driven, action packed, but it’s also a real character story.
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