Anya Taylor-Joy's Furiosa Makes Charlize Theron In Mad Max: Fury Road Even Better

Summary Anya Taylor-Joy brings a darker, angrier version of Furiosa to the screen, embodying feminine rage with intense and unforgiving portrayal.

The differences between Taylor-Joy and Theron's Furiosa versions enhance the character's growth and complexity, showing a deeper evolution.

Furiosa prequel adds nuance to Theron's character in Fury Road, showcasing a more vulnerable and human side to the fierce warrior.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for FuriosaAnya Taylor-Joy’s portrayal of the title character in Furiosa differs substantially from Charlize Theron’s version in 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s not exactly surprising; no actor can give an exact carbon copy of another interpretation, no matter the role. At a glance, though, the differences between the two are so stark they can feel somewhat jarring. Now that Furiosa's world is more fully explained, Taylor-Joy's work on Furiosa can be unpacked in greater detail and compared to Theron's – with some surprising benefits for the previous version of the character.

Theron’s Furiosa was visually and politically iconic in 2015, and Fury Road is considered one of the best in the franchise. With her close-cropped hair, greased forehead, and robotic arm, she stood out in the movie's many eye-popping and intense chase scenes. She also cut an impressive figure on posters and was simultaneously praised and criticized for her masculine characteristics, particularly her understated sex appeal and ability to shoot. There were clues at the time that this was only the tip of the iceberg, however, with Furiosa making this performance even more impressive in hindsight.

2:19 Related Why Charlize Theron Isn't In Furiosa Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga director George Miller explains why Fury Road's Charlize Theron was recast with Anya Taylor-Joy for the prequel film.

Anya Taylor-Joy's Version Of Furiosa Embodies Feminine Rage

She Rejects Tears And Embraces The Messiness Of Anger

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Anya Taylor-Joy’s version is a closely considered and unforgiving embrace of feminine rage. Though this angry, vengeful character is the perfect vehicle for this, it seems to make Charlize Theron’s version look soft in comparison— a contrast that enhances the older character. Feminine rage resists the idea that female characters (and people) show anger through sadness and tears. Women can feel, show, and act in anger, which can be messy and loud. Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa performance is the embodiment of this form of hostility.

To show this, Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa hardly speaks, often remaining mute when others demand a response. When she does talk, she frequently orders an action from someone else, providing no justification or sugar-coating to them. With long hair and tight leather clothing, she is dark and imposing. Her presence is rigid and unyielding; there seems to be nothing soft or caring about her, which then makes her fervent attachment to Praetorian Jack all the more interesting. Crucially though, Taylor-Joy does not cry, no matter how bad the physical or mental anguish of her journey becomes. Again, this is in huge contrast to the Furiosa seen in Fury Road.

Anya Taylor-Joy's Furiosa Is Much Darker & Hardened Than Charlize Theron’s

Fury Road Hints At Furiosa’s Past

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Charlize Theron’s dialogue delivery is very different from Taylor-Joy’s. In Fury Road, she speaks far more frequently, which may come off as a character inconsistency. However, her lines are spoken in a clipped, almost staccato fashion. This becomes a barometer for how much she trusts the person she is speaking to. She occasionally addresses the War Boys, but she uses as few words as possible, knowing that they cannot be trusted. By contrast, when she sees that Max is reliable, she warms to him and speaks almost unreservedly to him by the end of the film.

Since she rarely says what she’s thinking, Anya Taylor-Joy’s eye-line gives big hints to Furiosa’s thoughts. Even when she is with Jack, the two of them are so connected they hardly need to look over at what the other is doing. By contrast, Charlize Theron’s Furiosa is alone. And yet, she retains her talent for non-verbal communication. As he is thrust against the windshield of the War Rig, Max holds Furiosa’s gaze. The moment serves to illustrate he is asking for help, and she returns the glance. This provides an important connection to Taylor-Joy's take on the character, while the rest of the film highlights Furiosa's broader growth.

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In terms of physicality, Anya Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa is stabbed in the shoulder and she hardly reacts to it at all. When Jack pulls the knife out and she gives a sigh of relief, it becomes apparent how badly it must have hurt. Theron, on the other hand, is stabbed in Fury Road and gives an almost horror-movie-style scream. It's another example of how, as Furiosa has evolved, she has also become more expressive and willing to show vulnerability.

The scene that most clearly contrasts with Taylor-Joy’s reading of the character occurs halfway through Fury Road. When the heavily pregnant Angharad is killed, Max is driving the War Rig, and there is a long pause in which Furiosa’s eyes are shown to be filled with tears. Theron frequently uses her eyes to show Furiosa’s pain and fear. Conversely, Anya Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa never reacts with tears. Rather, she uses her striking eyes like weapons, skewering her enemies without any shade of fear. It gives the impression that Furiosa never had any fear to begin with.

Mad Max: Fury Road is available to stream on Max

Furiosa Adds More Nuance To Charlize Theron's Character In Fury Road

The Differences In Character Illuminate Furiosa’s Journey

It would be an oversimplification to say that Taylor-Joy merely played Furiosa differently and the two performances aren’t closely related. Rather, the character's journey throughout Furiosa profoundly changed the title character. Without Jack and her star map, the character reluctantly serves as Imperator, working with the hated Immortan Joe. In rewatching Fury Road with the context from the prequel, it is apparent that Furiosa is tired of fighting for her life. The caustic rage against Dementus that kept her alive is now gone – instead, she seems sad and swallowed up by pain.

When Theron’s Furiosa seems much more on edge during the initial run from the Citadel, it may seem out of character to Taylor-Joy’s fearlessness. However, she is hiding the women from Immortan Joe’s harem in the War Rig. If she seems more fearful now, it underscores that she has several vulnerable women and their unborn children to protect, whereas before she only had herself to worry about. This is an indication that she cares deeply for these women and the consequences will be dire if she makes a mistake. Ultimately, it makes her a more believable and sympathetic presence, rather than an emotionless rage machine.

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When she finally reunites with her sister, the added context of the peril and pain she suffered makes this moment feel much more poignant. It’s also interesting to note that, while she has relaxed into speaking more fluidly with Max, she reverts to her clipped method of dialogue delivery when speaking to the women from the Green Place. Knowing that she behaves this way in Furiosa when she is most distrustful of others, serves to show that she instinctively distrusts everyone, even her own family, because of how deeply traumatic her time in the Wasteland has been.

...when Max asks her what she is searching for, she tells him, “Redemption.” It is her borderline psychopathy in Furiosa that reveals what she is looking to be redeemed from.

Minutes later, when the Green Place is revealed to be destroyed, Theron despondently sinks to her knees and howls. The idea of the Green Place was pretty new information at this point in the film. Now, there is more context to what Furiosa is mourning. To have a person so fearless and tough in Furiosa utterly crumble at this moment really shows the gravity of what has been lost. Then, when Max asks her what she is searching for, she tells him, “Redemption.” It is her borderline psychopathy in Furiosa that reveals what she is looking to be redeemed from.

Furiosa Improving Charlize Theron & Fury Road Is Miraculous

Few Prequels Improve Upon Earlier Films The Way Furiosa Does

Any prequel must find innovative ways to be interesting, since viewers already know many things about the world and characters of Fury Road and other earlier films. The best way Furiosa does so is through character change. The differences between Furiosa in the two Mad Max films show how deeply she was affected by her journey. Furiosa’s revenge quest changed her. The years spent serving as Imperator also changed her. When taken together, Furiosa and Fury Road showcase a cohesive arc and subtle character development.

Early in Fury Road, Charlize Theron watches the citizens of the Citadel collecting water Immortan Joe has released for them. She half-smiles through her dirty windshield. She is glad for them. It's clear that at this point in the timeline, Furiosa can feel something more than fury. She has regained some of the humanity that Dementus and her rage had taken from her. Seeing where this journey began in Furiosa ultimately makes these subtle emotive moments in Fury Road even more potent.