Earlier this week, news broke that Anya Taylor-Joy has been officially cast as Furiosa in a prequel film based on Charlize Theron’s breakout character from Mad Max: Fury Road. For months, Taylor-Joy’s name was rumored to be the top contender for the role, and now, she can finally talk about what it’s like to be starring in the origin story from Fury Road director George Miller. The actress plans to bring her own take to the character, but not out of ego or pretension, but because even she recognizes that it’s a daunting task to follow in Theron’s footsteps.
“She did such an incredible job. It was so beautiful. I can’t even think about trying to step into her shoes,” Taylor-Joy told MTV’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. “It has to be something different because it just can’t be done.”
As she gears up to bring a young Furiosa to the big screen, Taylor has already began to prepare for the physically and mentally demanding role. Via IndieWire:
“I’ve already started dreaming about [Furiosa] and she’s coming in very strong. I’m so committed to working as hard as possible as I can. I always said that I wanted a role that I would have to give everything to, it wouldn’t just be my mind but my body, what I’m doing with myself when I’m not on set. I’m so excited for that and to push myself past the limits of what my brain thought was possible.”
Of course, there’s also the elephant in the room of recasting Furiosa with a younger actress. Theron has publicly said that she finds the decision “heartbreaking,” but she deferred gracefully to George Miller’s vision for the character. “It’s a tough one to swallow,” she told The Hollywood Reporter over the summer. “Listen, I fully respect George, if not more so in the aftermath of making that film with him. He’s a master, and I wish him nothing but the best.”
(Via Happy Sad Confused)
