Anya Taylor-Joy is ferocious as Furiosa in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”

“There’s something resolute, highly determined, and ultimately ferocious that’s in her. And that’s seen on the screen,” director George Miller describes watching Anya Taylor-Joy in action as the titular character in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the latest installment in the epic post-apocalyptic Mad Max franchise.

Miller admires the way that Taylor-Joy added to Furiosa’s character, forming it with her own understanding of the vicious warrior. “Anya was a wonderful collaborator whose contributions added to the depth of the character, making it her own. There’s no question that she brought something that’s ferocious to the movie—whether it’s in her or not, she found that in herself. And it’s something that I sensed in her work previous to working with her.”

Taylor-Joy was in Miller’s radar early on in her career, and her acting prowess from her previous films stood out to the director. “I’d seen Anya in The VVitch, way back in the time Fury Road came out—she was very young then—and then I saw her in an early cut that Edgar Wright showed me of Last Night in Soho. When I saw her on the screen, I thought, “There’s something very compelling about her,”” Miller recalls. “Very, very present, fierce and resolute, even in the character, singing and dancing. She had those skills already, which I think is a really good marker of a skilled actor. They have a lot of precision, physically, and therefore I think ultimately emotionally.”

Taylor-Joy felt a very close connection to Furiosa, and that’s how she approached the character during filming. “ Furiosa, the second I read it, I was like, “Okay, this is going to be one of those ones where it’s very difficult to separate yourself, you’re going to feel like you are in these scenes and it’s going to feel real.” So, I don’t really think I had much of a choice in terms of my artistry in making it my own. It was just very real for me.”

Training for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga also made Taylor-Joy feel like she’s the strongest she’s ever been. “What’s crazy about it is I definitely did more training in the year prior to the movie than I was able to fit in while making the film. And yet, I was stronger than I’ve ever been, because throwing yourself around a War Rig requires every muscle in your body. My workout became coming to work and doing the scenes, and I felt quite proud of my strength during that time.”

Overall, Taylor-Joy just feels hopeful and grateful for being a part of something epic, or something even more, in her words. “It’s pretty intense. This film is so beyond the word epic that I actually can’t think of a word for it. Epic in scale, epic in ambition, epic in emotion, epic in action. It is a huge movie, and I think there is something for everyone. I think we’re going to take you on an insane ride that you will be exhausted by the end of it, but also relieved, because we give you that catharsis,” she says. “And I really hope for young women to come to believe that you are stronger than you think you are, you have more power than you think you have, and you can do a lot with that. There is just consistent pressure, but we’re gonna get there.”

Catch Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga as it arrives in Philippine cinemas on May 22.