Charlize Theron Reacts to Being Replaced in One of Her Biggest Roles (but It Was Necessary)

Charlize Theron wowed moviegoers with her performance as Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, but the role was recast for last year’s prequel film Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Not only has Theron watched that movie, she also has nothing but positive things to say about her successor, Anya Taylor-Joy. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Theron discussed her relationship with Furiosa, praising the film. While she admitted she still has mixed feelings about how everything played out, the Oscar winner understands why director George Miller went this route, as so much time had passed between the two installments.

“I watched it, and I think it’s a beautiful film. I am a massive fan of Anya. She’s an incredible actor,” Theron said. “There’s nothing around [the recasting] that, to me, felt malicious. It was something that just dragged out for too long, and I totally understand it. It still doesn’t make it feel any better. I probably lived in [Furiosa’s] body the longest out of any of my characters, and it was challenging. It was really challenging. But I am so supportive of what ended up happening, and I think the movie is absolutely beautiful.”

Furiosa chronicles the titular character’s life prior to the events of Fury Road. Rather than utilize digital de-aging technology to make Theron appear younger, Miller opted to recast the role. When explaining his decision, the director noted that when he watched films like The Irishman and Gemini Man (which use CGI to de-age older actors in the cast), he realized he was watching the technology more than the film itself. Not wanting to distract viewers like that in Furiosa, he went a different route.

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Back in 2020, Theron admitted it was “heartbreaking” that she wouldn’t be starring in the prequel. She had been looking forward to collaborating with Miller again, as she enjoyed playing a part in creating Furiosa on screen. Based on everything that’s been said about Furiosa‘s development, Miller would have brought Theron back if the film came together more quickly. Lingering in development for so long created a hurdle.

Theron delivered one of the defining action performances of the 2010s in Fury Road, but while it would have been great to see her reprise the role, recasting Furiosa for the prequel was arguably the right choice. Digital de-aging can be a great tool and has come a long way over the years, though it’s arguably something best used in moderation. There’s a big difference between de-aging someone for a scene or two as opposed to an entire feature. That’s a lot of extra work for the visual effects department (on top of handling all the other extensive shots in a big-budget blockbuster), and digital faces are still such a tricky thing to pull off. Even if something is only slightly off, it can create an uncanny valley effect, which is something Miller wanted to avoid.

This isn’t to say directors like Martin Scorsese and Ang Lee made the wrong choices on The Irishman and Gemini Man (the effects in those films look very good). Miller just made the decision he felt was the best one for the project he was trying to make. Unfortunately, Theron may never get a chance to revisit the Furiosa character. Despite earning positive reviews, Furiosa bombed at the box office, earning only $174.3 million worldwide. That puts the future of the Mad Max franchise in doubt.