Anya-Taylor Joy and Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa staring at each other custom image Charlize Theron is speaking out about her reaction to the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Story. Theron played Furiosa in Fury Road, where she joined Tom Hardy’s Max Rockatansky in a road battle against Hugh Keays-Byrne’s terrifying Immortan Joe. The movie was released in 2015 and followed by 2024’s Furiosa, which starred Anya Taylor-Joy. Despite Furiosa‘s overwhelmingly positive reviews, it disappointed at the box office with an overall take of only $172.8 million on a $168 million budget.

The box office struggles proved problematic for Taylor-Joy’s prequel, but the universally positive reviews have provided some good news. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Theron explained that she, too, loved Furiosa and has been trying to connect with Taylor-Joy to share her impressions. Unfortunately, the two actors have never been able to meet to communicate their thoughts on the franchise, but Theron does expect to meet eventually. Check out her quote below:

It’s amazing, it’s a beautiful film … [Anya Taylor-Joy and I have] really been trying to connect. It’s been one of those — we can actually make a comedy out of it. We keep running into each other and in places when we don’t have time to really talk to each other, so we’re constantly like, ‘Oh my god, OK, let’s get together!’ And then life takes over. But it will happen when it’s right.

Anya Taylor-Joy Excelled As Furiosa

Despite Its Box Office Challenges, Furiosa: A Mad Max Story Excelled Critically

 

Furiosa staring while her hair is long
 Anya Taylor-Joy smearing grease on her forehead as Furiosa in Furiosa A Mad Max Saga Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa Peeking Around a Corner in Furiosa A Mad Max Saga Anya Taylor Joy looking down at the camera in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) pointing a gun in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Mary Jabassa (Charlee Fraser) Lying on the Ground Looking Through the Sight of a Rifle in Furiosa a Mad Max SagaFuriosa staring while her hair is long
 Anya Taylor-Joy smearing grease on her forehead as Furiosa in Furiosa A Mad Max Saga Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa Peeking Around a Corner in Furiosa A Mad Max Saga Anya Taylor Joy looking down at the camera in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) pointing a gun in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Mary Jabassa (Charlee Fraser) Lying on the Ground Looking Through the Sight of a Rifle in Furiosa a Mad Max Saga

With Max Rockatansky not playing much of a role in the prequel, the Furiosa cast largely consists of less renowned characters who take on lives of their own in the prequel. Alongside Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa, Chris Hemsworth plays Dementus, Tom Burke plays the highly-praised Praetorian Jack, and Lachy Hulme takes up the role of Immortan Joe. As the titular hero, Taylor-Joy is the most prominent figure, and she has been the subject of much of the movie’s praise. In telling Furiosa’s origin story, Taylor-Joy brings added depth to a fascinating character.

Furiosa has become a critical darling, having earned a 90% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 89% audience score. With both sides in agreement, much of the praise has been for Taylor-Joy’s performance as the lead character. Despite not appearing for the first hour, as Alyla Browne plays the younger Furiosa, Taylor-Joy’s introduction is thrilling. The actor is left with nothing but facial expressions and body language to communicate her silent character’s motivations. Even with limited dialogue, the actor gave an electrifying performance.

Taylor-Joy is becoming an increasingly well-regarded actor. She previously starred in The New Mutants (Magik), The Queen’s Gambit (Beth Harmon), and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Princess Peach), and she is expected to take a starring role in Dune 3 as Paul Atreides’ younger sister. While her latest starring movie happened to be a box office disappointment, Taylor-Joy continues to excel as a leading actor. Now, she can boast that the previous Furiosa actor has nothing but praise for her performance in Furiosa: A Mad Max Story.