You won’t sleep much if your goal is to become a dystopian feminist fighter. One of the first things Anya Taylor-Joy discovered while working on the set of George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” prequel “Furiosa” was that despite wearing a lot of makeup and filming in the dark Australian winter, Taylor-Joy wished she could have slept through the crack of dawn. Rather, she would get up in the middle of the night, prepared to fight.
On a recent afternoon in Los Angeles, the 28-year-old actress adds, “I had the earliest call time of my life: 1:45 a.m.” “I would say, ‘I just wrapped!'” What are you trying to say? It’s an error!Taylor-Joy remembers the traumatic mornings with the exuberant enthusiasm of a theatre kid. She took pictures of her several cosmetic experiments and documented her whole transition into Furiosa. She shows me by going through her phone.
The images are shocking because, of course, Furiosa, who Charlize Theron played in the 2015 film “Fury Road,” leads a harsh life and must battle to survive in a post-apocalyptic society ruled by road warriors. However, Taylor-Joy’s face appears to be covered in filth and grit after hours spent in the makeup chair. She pulls up a picture and says, “You will not believe how dirty I had to be for it to read on camera.” She feigns a shock, “The first time I looked at myself in the mirror, I was like, ‘Whoa!She is coated in globs of horrific crimson and brown. “I looked like a creature from the Black Lagoon,” she says. The woman responds, “That’s seven layers.” Of course there is blood; I’m the one who always says, ‘More blood!’girl.’
During the six-and-a-half-month shoot, Taylor-Joy worked through most weekends while filming in a wasteland of sand dunes. She became aware of something startling when she woke up one day. For the past two months, Taylor-Joy claims, “I hadn’t seen anybody that wasn’t in wasteland hair and makeup.” “I couldn’t find anyone who appeared normal.”
With the exception of one permanent friend, Kitsune, a fluffy Ragdoll cat that Taylor-Joy adopted as a reward for devoting herself to her job. “I thought, ‘I’m going to get a kitten when I get to Australia,'” she recalls. (Despite all that makeup, the cat wasn’t afraid of Furiosa.) “He came to work with me every day. I had to direct my affection towards something. My mind informed me that I required care.
A protective Furiosa? Farewell to Theron’s robotically-armed tyrant. It was as if a bomb had gone off when “Fury Road” made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival the day before it dominated the U.S. box office. Australian director Miller lightened up after starting his career with the first three “Mad Max” films, directing the weepie “Lorenzo’s Oil,” the bizarre comedy “The Witches of Eastwick,” and films in the “Baby” and “Happy Feet” franchises, which feature adorable pigs and penguins. Miller worked from 1979 to 1985. But “Fury Road,” with its portrayal of a violent matriarchy, signalling his comeback to form as the road beckoned. And while the CGI-heavy “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Jurassic World,” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” would rule the box office in 2015, Miller’s practical effects-driven “Fury Road” offered something different: a thrilling survival thriller whose ultimate special effect lay in its human-scale stakes.
Furiosa was at its centre. A few years would pass before the #MeToo tsunami struck, but Theron’s portrayal of Furiosa captured a boiling-over fury that women had started to feel more at ease expressing in public. Furiosa defies the grim new world order by saving five sex slaves from the malevolent warlord Immortan Joe. “Fury Road” was hailed by critics as one of the greatest action films ever made, and it took home six Oscars after earning $380 million worldwide.
It arrived there by sheer willpower. Taylor-Joy remembers receiving one continuous note from Miller, the renownedly rigors director, which persisted in evidence on “Furiosa.” He would tell us to “do it again with your mouth closed” after we completed a take. He’s got a problem with my mouth. He believes that I appear too young when my mouth is open, so Taylor-Joy would snap back into another heartbreaking scenario, her jaw clinched.
Taylor-Joy declares, “This is the wasteland, and any outbreak of emotion is punished by death.” “Any empathy, truly, any kindness, is met with death. I could understand all of it. Since she is constantly suppressed throughout the movie, I believe that the limitations George put on me did radiate off the character.
Viewers may not have anticipated or even desired this censorship in the first place: fans had been waiting impatiently for a sequel to “Fury Road,” one that would reveal what happened to Furiosa after she was freed. However, Miller revealed ideas for a prequel in 2020. Furiosa is shown in the new film as a small child living in the utopian community known as the Green Place. We see how Furiosa’s mother is killed, which fuels her desire for vengeance, and how she is imprisoned by the evil Dr. Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) during her teenage years. Indeed, the film even depicts Furiosa’s arm loss.
Taylor-Joy has seen numerous rough cuts of “Furiosa,” but she hasn’t seen the final theatrical cut as of the day we meet. “I’m crying within the first three minutes,” she declares. And after that, I’m speechless. It was really distressing for me to watch.
Even though the movie is shot in colour, Miller had a tendency of giving her the dailies in black & white. 90% of the special effects of “Fury Road” were done in real time, which is one of the reasons it was both so beloved and such a headache to film, whereas “Furiosa” used more computer generated imagery. The CGI wasn’t there in the version Miller was showcasing Taylor-Joy. She could simply see her performance, with some of the mayhem removed.
Furiosa is a quiet person, according to Taylor-Joy. She’s a character who speaks very little. I hope that was a factor in George’s decision to pick me. I didn’t fully understand that a lot of my career had gone like way until I started working on Furiosa; in my opinion, a lot of it has played out.
We were first spellbound by those eyes over ten years ago. After watching “Atonement,” which starred a 13-year-old Saoirse Ronan (who is two years older than Taylor-Joy), Taylor-Joy had always wanted to be an actress. “I thought, ‘You can play a child in an adult movie?'”‘”
Taylor-Joy was the talk of Sundance in 2015, the year “Fury Road” hit theatres, thanks to her performance in Robert Eggers’ horror film “The Witch,” which tells the story of a 17th-century farm girl who falls prey to evil spirits. She was not nearly a child at eighteen, but her gift made her a prodigy. Taylor-Joy says, “I joke that I went to Sundance and I never came home, but it’s not a joke.” “It simply transpired.”
With unexpected inner power in M, she carried on with her scream-queen run as an abduction victim. Her eyes enthralled the globe in October 2020 when Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit” made chess — and Taylor-Joy’s portrayal of a complex, frustrating genius — feel rich and captivating. Night Shyamalan’s late-2000s thrillers “Split” and “Glass.” Chessboard sales spiked as a result of the series’ unexpected success and its captive, bored audience.
Since then, Taylor-Joy’s career has been a marvel of adaptability: she reunited with Eggers as a sorceress in “The Northman,” and she scored a surprise hit in the social satire “The Menu” by playing a role originally intended for Emma Stone. Her most recent triumph was her buzzy cameo as an unborn child in “Dune: Part Two.”
However, “Furiosa” is maybe Taylor-Joy’s greatest career risk and her most difficult part to date. The most recent entry in the “Mad Max” world serves as a test of Warner Bros.’ ability to make big-budget franchise blockbusters in the event that Marvel slows down. Moreover, Taylor-Joy needs to fill large desert footwear. The film’s initial teasers feature a voice-over that seems to be narrating Theron’s story of Furiosa’s early struggles; however, Taylor-Joy makes it clear that she is speaking.
“Really?When I tell Taylor-Joy that I believed Theron had returned to read this exchange, she responds. Well done!She then gives me a small jab, saying, “You’re amazed that I’m good?She sighs. She continues, “Acting darling, I was channelling Furiosa’s voice.” Gal is not a talker. There’s rust in her mouth when she opens it.
Warner Bros. hopes that moviegoers will be drawn in by that recognisable gruff voice. “Furiosa,” which hits theatres on May 24, will make its dramatic Cannes premiere first. Taylor-Joy last made headlines in 2017 when, ironically, Theron awarded her with the Trophée Chopard for breakthrough stardom. This time, however, Taylor-Joy will be inducted into the next generation of Hollywood’s A-list stars, joining her “Dune” colleagues Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler, and Zendaya, assuming Cannes serves as the film’s launchpad to box office Valhalla.
She will also demonstrate that she is a deserving replacement for Theron, with whom she recently got back in touch. Taylor-Joy explains, “We emailed a lot before finally meeting up at the Oscars.” “She is everything you could hope for—wonderful, gracious, and cool.”
Theron expressed her disappointment at not being able to play one of her favourite characters again in interviews. Miller, who penned “Furiosa”‘s script before “Furious Road,” had originally intended for Theron to return in a follow-up. He even experimented with employing de-aging technologies when he made the decision to film the prequel. However, a few movies persuaded him that CGI had its limitations.
Miller claims to have seen both “The Irishman” and “Gemini Man,” starring Will Smith, directed by Ang Lee. Although they were both excellent filmmakers, it never held up. I assumed that the only thing drawing attention to Charlize’s youthful appearance would be her apparent affect. We had to find a younger replacement as time went on and we became involved in legal disputes with Warner Bros. Miller filed a lawsuit against the studio in 2017 alleging he was due a $7 million bonus for the film “Fury Road.”
One day, Taylor-Joy, who plays Audrey Hepburn with a twist, persuaded Miller to see an early version of “Last Night in Soho,” directed by his pal Edgar Wright. Miller was a huge fan of the movie and was eager for it to end so he could speak with Wright about his collaboration with Taylor-Joy. Miller claims that he essentially said, “She’s incredibly rigors and disciplined.” Wright made the connection between the two.
After a lengthy phone discussion, Taylor-Joy recorded herself for him, acting out the well-known monologue from the 1976 film “Network,” in which Peter Finch exclaims, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this any more!”Taylor-Joy had never seen the movie, but she did a fantastic job, taking ownership of the famous angry moment. She demonstrated that she would be able to follow his instructions when she sent him a second video when Miller called with a note.
At last, Taylor-Joy received a call from Miller offering her the position, with the words, “So when you come to Australia..” She remembers her mind going through his words slowly. “It seems like I finally understood it,” she recalled thinking. “Nice!”
Taylor-Joy, who was working on the 2016 horror thriller “Morgan,” had seen “Fury Road” in a Belfast theatre. “We went to see it as a team-building activity,” she explains. Years later, when news emerged that she’d been cast as the next Furiosa, she was back in Belfast, this time filming “The Northman.” “I saw the news go worldwide,” she says. “I stood up in the theatre and clapped at the end of it.” “I kind of ran around my apartment and screamed.”
She had spent her entire life practicing rigorously to become a ballet dancer. But there were further processes involved in becoming Furiosa. Taylor-Joy claims that she “was doing weights”—squats, lifts, and rows—and that “they helped for sure.” Ballet dancers’ arms are incredibly powerful, but they’re all floaty. The stability weights offer you, especially in your shoulders, what you need to be able to hold yourself up and wield these weapons at the same time. These are big guns, and I have a petite build.
She attended a Los Angeles gun range to acquire shooting skills. For the safety of the crew, however, Miller never utilised actual bullets or even blanks when filming “Furiosa.” “Nothing will be coming out of them,” George said, according to Taylor-Joy. She was forced to kick the firearms herself. “I had the opportunity to shoot these individual weapons, and then I had to fake it,” the speaker said.
For two reasons, Miller refused to allow Taylor-Joy to undergo a buzz cut, even though Furiosa, the character from “Fury Road,” is known for having a shaved head. First of all, he wasn’t sure if they would film in chronological sequence, because in the movie’s last act, Furiosa gets bald. And the second time was to keep her hair intact. “I begged, ‘Please!Taylor-Joy remembers. However, George is such a sap. “It’s beautiful,” he added, pointing to my hair. Rather than attempt it, Taylor-Joy opted to wear a prosthetic bald cap that was custom-fitted to fit her scalp. And when Furiosa eventually transforms into a warrior and shaves everything off, she says, “That’s a second bald cap that has hair that I can actually cut.”
Another difficulty is that Furiosa drives quickly, which presents a problem because Taylor-Joy lacks a driver’s licence. “I don’t think I allowed myself to think about crashing anything,” she adds, adding that the nights before she filmed the major chase sequences with motorcycles and other “Mad Max” vehicles, she would make an effort to get more sleep.
When asked about filming these scenes with an unauthorised driver, Hemsworth chuckles. “I was unaware at the time,” he admits. “She seems to obtain a licence by default, don’t you think?He imagines Taylor-Joy stomping up to the DMV, waving a ticket to “Furiosa” and declaring, “Here’s my driver’s test!”The teacher should then respond, “Oh yeah.” We comprehend. You’re capable of it!'”
Known for its challenging production, “Fury Road” had real-life car collisions, financial constraints, unpredictable weather (unlike “Furiosa,” which was filmed in Namibia) and hostility between stars Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy. Miller, however, claims that “Furiosa” was spared from such suffering.
Bradley Cooper’s schnoz in “Maestri” is nothing compared to Hemsworth’s prosthetic nose, which he modelled on ancient Roman commanders. He grunts, “I was in the makeup chair for about four hours.” By the end of it, I was understandably annoyed. There was a fair amount of pent-up wrath simmering beneath the surface, which significantly improved my performance.
Taylor-Joy also discovered that she needed to spend up to five hours a day preparing. She was prone to loneliness because of her role as the reclusive Furiosa. She would spend a lot of time inside her own thoughts, separated from her co-stars by several layers of makeup. According to Taylor-Joy, “there were some days when I definitely needed to de-stress.” “I became really addicted to reading stories about heroes defeating evil.”
similar to what? “Stranger Things” Season 4 provided me with a lot of comfort,” she says. In between takes, she would view scenes from the Netflix series. She claims, “I needed to have a reminder of the good in the world on my phone.”
For a woman who had experienced life as a nomad, passing the time came easily. She was raised in Argentina and, being the youngest of six children, went to London when she was six years old. She had always identified as a tomboy who enjoyed playing outside. She claims that the main reason she doesn’t have a driver’s licence is because she doesn’t have a place she considers to be her permanent home (though she hangs her hat in Los Angeles when she’s not shooting). “My dad is a powerboat racer, and we love Formula One,” she explains. She claims, “I never stay anywhere for long enough to get one.” Additionally, I think I should probably learn how to parallel park. I am not proficient at doing that.
Taylor-Joy is presently organising her upcoming journey. She recently acquired tickets to Paul McCartney’s Jimmy Buffett tribute show at the Hollywood Bowl, which she is surprising her husband, musician Malcolm McRae, with tonight. “I’m excited because I think I won best wife of the year,” she says.
When Taylor-Joy last month spoke up about her husband on Instagram, the world was taken aback to learn that she had been married for two years. On April Fools’ Day in 2022, the couple secretly eloped in New Orleans, although she refrained from wearing a wedding band and from talking about him in public. She says, “We took our two best friends.” “It felt enchanted.” How long had they been dating? Oh my god, she exclaims. “The short answer to it is that we weren’t together for very long. You know when you know.
Not even their parents were present when they tied the knot. She recalls, “Malcolm FaceTimed his family from the church.” “We said, ‘Hello!”However, they were aware of our engagement for a brief period of time.” Taylor-Joy passes the time in film roles. We kept the engagement a secret from our pals until some tabloid blew it up, she recalls, even though close family members were aware of it while “I was shooting ‘The Menu,'” which was filmed in Savannah, Georgia in the fall of 2021. Later, in October 2023, they held a ceremony in Venice, Italy, attended by 150 people. She says of the elopement, “It was for us.” It had a romantic feel.
The next great secret that she withheld? “Denis Villeneuve is one of my all-time favourites. Arrival is my comfort movie,” Taylor-Joy says of her meeting with the director about a second role in the movie before leaving for Australia to shoot “Furiosa.” However, during the meeting, Villeneuve informed her that her schedule on Miller’s shoot would not allow her to simultaneously depart for the fictional planet of Arrakis.
“I want you to be in “Dune,” but you can’t do it,” he said before I even sat down!Taylor-Joy remembers. “I pleaded, ‘Please?I was thinking, “I can do this,” and I skipped all the phases of grieving and went directly to pleading. He desired for me to be a part of the universe and said, “I can be in Australia and Abu Dhabi at the same time.” We stayed in communication. I simply got the impression that it wasn’t finished.
She therefore kept questioning her agents about “Dune” while filming “Furiosa,” but they informed her that the project had started without her. Then, sounding thrilled, Villeneuve called her the day she returned to Los Angeles from Australia with a crazy proposal. “He said, ‘I made a deal with the studio: If I was on budget and on time, I could do this.'” By “this,” he meant a brief cameo at the film’s conclusion in which Taylor-Joy plays the grown-up version of Paul Atreides’ younger sister, Alia. It seems as though the franchise will continue just because she is a symbol of the family’s future.
“Anya was Alia from the moment I met her,” according to Villeneuve’s email. “In actuality, I discovered after the event that she was always Alia. After taking a step into the dream, Anya feels as though she is not of this world and instead belongs in another dimension.
She kept the cameo, which was filmed in Namibia with a small crew, a secret. She continues, “I told my husband and my parents, and I took my mum.” Villeneuve allegedly kept it so secret that “no one at the studio knew.” My face had been masked out in the first cuts of the movie.
This year, Taylor-Joy surprised moviegoers by revealing her involvement while walking the red carpet at the London premiere. She recalls, “I asked Denis to let the cast know ahead of time.” “I told them I couldn’t just walk up. I beg you not to treat me like that.
Will she ever encounter another “Dune”? “Hopefully,” replies Taylor-Joy.
