#Losing Furiosa Role in Mad Max Prequel Left Charlize Theron a Little Heartbroken

Charlize Theron is an Oscar-winning actress, and recent years have seen her dominate the action movie genre with leading roles in various franchises from Mad Max to Fast and Furious. As Imperator Furiosa, Theron was the heart and soul of George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Theron admitted it was a tough pill to swallow when she learned that Miller was moving ahead with plans for a Mad Max: Furiosa prequel with a younger actress.

“It’s a tough one to swallow. Listen, I fully respect George, if not more so in the aftermath of making Fury Road with him. He’s a master, and I wish him nothing but the best. Yeah, it’s a little heartbreaking, for sure. I really love that character, and I’m so grateful that I had a small part in creating her. She will forever be someone I think of and reflect on fondly. Obviously, I would love to see that story continue, and if he feels like he has to go about it this way, then I trust him in that manner. We get so hung up on the smaller details that we forget the thing that we emotionally tap into has nothing to do with that minute thing that we’re focusing on.”

For Charlize Theron, the fact that she was able to make it as an action star despite the failure of her early forays into the genre is a minor miracle in itself, considering how the odds are stacked against female action stars.

“A lot of women don’t get a second chance, but when men make these movies and fail miserably, they get chance after chance after chance to go and explore that again. That doesn’t necessarily happen for women. Fury Road came a good decade after Æon Flux, and there’s always been that voice in the back of my head that still somewhat responds to that. I’m still influenced by that, and it’s one thing that drives me. It’s unfortunate that we feel like the opportunity will be taken away from us in a heartbeat if we don’t succeed, but that is the truth. It’s not a very forgiving genre when it comes to women.”

While Theron may not be a part of future Mad Max movies, her action movie career is going strong. The actress’s latest action movie, The Old Guard, is available on Netflix as of July 10. There are also plans for an Atomic Blonde sequel. When asked about the possibility of the world of Atomic Blonde someday colliding with John Wick, Theron had nothing but enthusiasm for the idea.

“Listen, as soon as I get the call, I’ll be there. They just have to tell me where, when and I’ll show up. Keanu is one of my most favorite people in the whole wide world; I absolutely love him. I respect him, I admire him and I am so grateful that I got to make two movies with him. We both kind of find ourselves in this new stage of our career, and so much of Atomic Blonde was influenced by John Wick. So, if we can get those two characters to meet up in a timeline that makes sense, I’m all about it.”

These quotes from Charlize Theron from direct from The Hollywood Reporter.

Topics: Mad Max 5, Mad Max