Working together on The Old Guard 2 was an ‘extra gift' for actresses Charlize Theron, Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman (left) and Charlize Theron at Netflix's premiere of The Old Guard 2 in Los Angeles on June 25.
LOS ANGELES – Two of Hollywood's fiercest female action stars, Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman, go head to head in The Old Guard 2, now streaming on Netflix.
The film also introduces a keris-wielding immortal played by Malaysia-born English actor Henry Golding and inspired by the legendary Malay warrior Hang Tuah.
A sequel to the 2020 action-fantasy hit The Old Guard, it sees the stoic, battle-scarred Andy (Theron) once again leading a band of immortal mercenaries, who have protected the world for centuries.
This time, they face off against one of the oldest immortals, a shadowy figure known as Discord (Thurman), whose agenda threatens their mission to protect humanity.
At The Old Guard 2's recent Los Angeles premiere, Theron – the 49-year-old South Africa-born star of Atomic Blonde (2017) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) – said she had long hoped to work with Thurman.
'Really glad I got the chance on this, and felt really lucky that she said yes,' says Theron, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in crime drama Monster (2003).
Charlize Theron in The Old Guard 2.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
The two quickly bonded on set.
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'Just being around her, it's impressive to kind of see what she's achieved and how she has such a healthy outlook on all of it,' says Theron, who in past interviews has said she regards Thurman as her 'sensei', or teacher, when it comes to the action genre.
'And that she still has her heart and soul intact.
'She's a good and kind person and a great mum, and we related on so much of that that by the time we actually shot it, it felt like this extra gift that we got,' says Theron, a single parent with two adopted children aged nine and 12.
Thurman, known for her iconic turn as sword-wielding assassin The Bride in the Kill Bill action films (2003 to 2004), says Theron personally reached out to her about joining the cast.
Uma Thurman in The Old Guard 2.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
'She's a special person and she wrote me a really beautiful, personal e-letter. I'm so old-fashioned, I call e-mails letters,' says the 55-year-old American actress, who also starred in the crime drama Pulp Fiction (1994).
'I thought her work in the first one was so spectacular, and I knew she wanted to make the second one something very special, and was excited to support her in that,' Thurman adds.
The star has a 23-year-old son and a 26-year-old daughter – actress Maya Hawke – with American actor and former husband Ethan Hawke, 54. She also has a 12-year-old daughter with her ex-partner, French financier Arpad Busson.
Like Theron and Thurman, Golding, who plays a reclusive older immortal named Hang, threw himself into the action scenes.
Henry Golding in The Old Guard 2.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
But 'I always get myself in trouble with the stunts', says the star of romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and the A Simple Favor thriller franchise (2018 to 2025).
'I go 100 miles an hour, and then the day before, when you're just going through the choreography, trying to get the movements and timing right, that's always when it happens.
'Because you're all relaxed and your muscles aren't contracted and keeping everything in place, I always pop something in my lower back,' says the 38-year-old, who has two daughters aged two and four with his wife Liv Lo, a 40-year-old Taiwanese media personality.
'But strap it up, painkillers and on with the show,' he adds. 'Luckily, nothing was broken, so nothing too serious.'
Cast member Henry Golding at a premiere for The Old Guard 2 in Los Angeles on June 25.
PHOTO: REUTERS
In a recent interview with the Malay Mail newspaper, Golding reveals that it was his idea to draw on the legend of Hang Tuah, a 15th-century warrior and martial arts master, to flesh out his character.
'From my time growing up in Malaysia, I was always enamoured by the folklore of Hang Tuah.
'I don't think we have seen this kind of representation in a Hollywood movie. So, I'm really hoping Malaysians and South-east Asians can catch on to this.'
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