Mad Max: Fury Road actress Charlize Theron did an excellent job portraying her character in the initial installment of the rebooted franchise. Now, Anya Taylor-Joy is set to take over the role in the upcoming prequel titled Furiosa. However, Taylor-Joy didn't consult Theron while shooting the prequel—but that's okay in her book.
Taylor-Joy is taking the torch of Theron's Imperator Furiosa for the upcoming prequel, but the star of 2015's action-packed Fury Road tells The Hollywood Reporter that she understands why the new Furiosa might not have wanted to reach out.
"No, but I get that. It's always tricky," Theron told the publication for their latest cover story. "Who wants to pick up the phone and say, like, 'Hey, we're going to go do this without you.' No one wants to do that. So, I totally get that."
Despite not appearing in her character's prequel, Theron says it's all love between her and director George Miller, adding that she's "not mad" that he wrote a film requiring a younger actress. "I love George. I know I'll talk to him again. I think it was just too hard."
Charlize Theron Says Anya Taylor-Joy is 'One of the Greatest F---ing Actresses'
Though the 47-year-old actress has conflicted feelings on the entire situation, Theron also gushed that she's a fan of Miller's choice to portray a younger Furiosa. "One of the greatest f---ing actresses is picking up something that I only imagined," she shared.
As for Taylor-Joy, the 26-year-old told People at the premiere for The Menu in November that the two Imperator Furiosas will need to meet up ASAP for dinner—and explained why she and Theron hadn't met up yet.
"Charlize was sweet enough—I think both of us ended up in a situation where we were both so respectful of each other that we didn't want to reach out prior [to filming]. The second it was over, once this press tour is over, we're having dinner and we're going to swap war stories for sure."
The duo will certainly have a lot to talk about, with the Furiosa star describing the Mad Max universe as "epic" beyond words. "I feel really grateful to be here and I feel so grateful that I got to work with the unbelievable creatives that man Furiosa. The Mad Max world is entirely unique and epic at a scale that I can't even [describe]."
Furiosa hits theaters May 24, 2024; in the meantime, catch Theron's take on the character in Mad Max: Fury Road, now streaming on HBO Max.