Charlize Theron says she’s disappointed that she likely won’t get the chance to reprise the role of her “Mad Max: Fury Road” character Imperator Furiosa when director George Miller recasts the role for a Furiosa prequel film.
In an interview with THR on Monday, Theron reacted to news from a New York Times oral history of “Mad Max: Fury Road” published in the New York Times in May in which Miller revealed he plans to make a prequel movie based on Theron’s character. However, Miller also revealed he will recast the character with an actress in her 20s to focus on the character’s younger years.
“It’s a tough one to swallow. Listen, I fully respect George, if not more so in the aftermath of making Fury Road with him. He’s a master, and I wish him nothing but the best,” Theron told THR. “Yeah, it’s a little heartbreaking, for sure. I really love that character, and I’m so grateful that I had a small part in creating her. She will forever be someone I think of and reflect on fondly. Obviously, I would love to see that story continue, and if he feels like he has to go about it this way, then I trust him in that manner.”
Furiosa became a fan-favorite character in 2015’s “Fury Road” after Theron’s determination and intensity in the part helped shift focus away from the male protagonist and arguably cast her and the film’s other female characters as the real heroes of the dystopian action movie.
The New York Times interview added that the writers developed backstories for every character in the film, with the most detailed being for Furiosa. Miller even wrote an entire screenplay focused just on Furiosa’s character before a single frame of “Fury Road” was shot.
Theron, who next stars in the Netflix action movie “The Old Guard,” says that she’s fortunate that she’s been able to carve a path as an action star where many women often don’t get the same opportunity.
“A lot of women don’t get a second chance, but when men make these movies and fail miserably, they get chance after chance after chance to go and explore that again. That doesn’t necessarily happen for women,” Theron said. “‘Fury Road’ came a good decade after ‘Æon Flux,’ and there’s always been that voice in the back of my head that still somewhat responds to that. I’m still influenced by that, and it’s one thing that drives me. It’s unfortunate that we feel like the opportunity will be taken away from us in a heartbeat if we don’t succeed, but that is the truth. It’s not a very forgiving genre when it comes to women.”
Check out the full interview with Theron over at THR.