Anya Taylor-Joy isn’t just dropping hints; she’s throwing out enigmatic riddles about her time on the set of George Miller’s latest adrenaline-fueled adventure, “Furiosa.” In a recent chat with the New York Times, she peeled back a layer or two on the intense journey she embarked upon for this film, revealing that it was more than just action-packed sequences and dramatic stares.
“I’ve never been more alone than making that movie,” she confessed, her words dripping with a mix of mystery and raw emotion. “I don’t want to go too deep into it, but everything that I thought was going to be easy was hard.”
Stepping into the shoes of Imperator Furiosa, a role famously portrayed by Charlize Theron in the previous Mad Max installment, Taylor-Joy knew she was diving headfirst into the deep end of intensity. “I wanted to be changed,” she admitted. “I wanted to be put in a situation in extremis where I would have no choice but to grow. And I got it.”
But what exactly made this experience so solitary? Taylor-Joy revealed that much of her time on set was spent in silent contemplation, perfecting every movement, every expression, without uttering a single word. “He had a very, very strict idea of what Furiosa’s war face looked like,” she shared, referring to Miller’s meticulous direction. “It was very much ‘mouth closed, no emotion, speak with your eyes.’ That’s it, that’s all you have.”
Despite her commitment to Miller’s vision, Taylor-Joy didn’t shy away from advocating for her character, especially when it came to tapping into Furiosa’s inner fury. “I am a really strong advocate of female rage,” she declared, recalling a particular scream in the movie that she fought to include for three long months.
Yet, amidst the artistic clashes, Taylor-Joy maintained a deep respect for Miller’s authority. “I wanted to make sure that I was never insolent in any way, that it was always a conversation,” she explained. “At the end of the day, this is his vision. I can present everything that I have, but his word goes.”
With filming wrapped up, Taylor-Joy found herself in need of some serious processing time. “Talk to me in 20 years,” she quipped, hinting at the weight of the experience she still carries with her. And as for watching the finished product? Well, that remains a daunting prospect. “I’m curious, once I watch it, if I’ll ever be able to watch it again,” she mused, acknowledging the potential intensity of seeing her journey unfold on screen.
Yet, despite the challenges and uncertainties, Taylor-Joy harbors no regrets. “I will never regret this experience,” she affirmed, her voice brimming with a mix of pride and reverence. “There’s an immediate kinship of like, ‘OK, hey, I see you.’”
