Charlize Theron Reacts to Losing Her Iconic Role
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"Mad Max: Fury Road" is currently populating plenty of Best Films of the 21st Century lists and one of the people who helped earn the movie its near-universal acclaim is Charlize Theron.
The "Monster" star brought the fierce warrior woman Furiosa to life and originally expected to reprise the role in the prequel "Furiosa". Now, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Theron talked about seeing the prequel and the heartbreak of being replaced.
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"I watched it, and I think it's a beautiful film," Theron told THR. "I am a massive fan of Anya [Taylor-Joy]. She's an incredible actor. 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."
Charlize Theron attends the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "The Old Guard 2"at Netflix Tudum Theater on June 25, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Charlize Theron attends the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's "The Old Guard 2"at Netflix Tudum Theater on June 25, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Kayla Oaddams/WireImage
"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" was released last year in theaters with Anya Taylor-Joy playing the titular hero rather than Theron, who originated the role. In spite of receiving similar critical acclaim to "Fury Road", it underperformed, earning only $174.3 million against its $168 million production budget.
Last year, "Furiosa" director George Miller told ComicBook that the original plan was for Theron to reprise the role, but two things stopped it from happening. First, the film was in development for too long. Second, while de-aging technology was an option, Miller feared it would distract from Theron's performance.
"I saw these other movies like 'The Irishman', where they made people younger and particularly I saw 'Gemini Man'," Miller recalled. "What I was looking at was the technology; I wasn't looking at performance. I thought, 'We can't do it.'"
THR also pointed to the trend of films and shows being made about the making of famous movies (e.g. "The Disaster Artist" and "The Offer"), and was asked if she thought a similar movie would eventually be made about the making of "Mad Max: Fury Road".
"I can honestly tell you I've never thought about that. I do not know what the realities are or how plausible [that would be]. I can't even think about it that way."
Theron is currently starring as Andromache of Scythia, or Andy, in the actioner "The Old Guard 2". The sequel is streaming now on Netflix.
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