Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy and George Miller Talk MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

During a “ lovely day” in Hollywood the cast and director of one of the most anticipated action flicks of the season got together to talk about the insane brilliance behind MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. Australian director George Miller, who created the franchise over thirty years ago, proves that his vision is still as exhilarating as before in this new chapter in the post-apocalyptic saga.

Miller knew that to transport the beloved series into the 21st century he would have to make some changes while staying true to some important elements in the previous films, “If you got back into this world you sure as hell can’t do what you did thirty years ago, but it had to be uniquely familiar. Like visiting an old hometown but seeing it through new eyes” explained the filmmaker. In this new iteration we see Max, played by Tom Hardy, and female road warrior Furiosa (Charlize Theron) trying to save a group of girls who are used by a maniacal warlord as breeders to give him an heir. Rising star Zoe Kravitz plays one of these young women and she admits it wasn’t an easy project, “This was a completely different experience. We were living in a wasteland for six months.”

Zoe and the rest of the shot the film in the Namibian desert in West Africa for about six months, a grueling amount of time by any standards. Cut off from the world, the group of girls -which also includes Abbey Lee, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Courtney Eaton- had to rely on each other for moral support. While we learn very little about their characters in the film, they spent a great amount of time preparing for their roles, “There is so little dialogue in the film that the only way we could have brought these characters to life was to be very specific about who they were” said Kravitz. This character-driven way of working was something very important for Huntington-Whiteley, who you might also know from her work as a prominent Victoria’s Secret model, “You learn a lot about who you are by delving into a character” she added.

Continuing with the theme of strong females, Miller explained that is was an organic decision for Theron’s character to be the one that tries to rescue the girls at first, “It couldn’t be a male stealing the women, it had to be a female, but it had to be a female road warrior.” The director also noted that women’s powerful presence extents beyond the screen, “We are seeing in many places in the world that women are emerging as a unifying or healing force.”

For Charlize Theron “Furiosa” was a fantastic opportunity to do something new. She pointed out that we can learn a lot about her character from her name, “I thought there was something really powerful about the name because it almost sets you up. You didn’t have to know anything about her, the name alone said it.” Theron continued to describe her character as a broken woman that “has been a disappointment of what you socially would consider a woman to be. She ended up being discarded. She couldn’t deliver in the things that were expected from her.”

Although we know little about “Furiosa,” Theron revealed that she and Miller were very aware of the warrior’s background story and her purpose, “She was stolen as a young child and she was brought into an environment where she was thrown into a breeding program. She was barren and couldn’t do the things she was supposed to do, but in the movie she ends up fulfilling her destiny, which is to just be herself” added the Academy Award-winning actress.

Hardy on the other hand had a different task, given that this franchise is immediately associated with the actor that originally portrayed Max, Mel Gibson. The pressure was definitely there at first commented Hardy, “Initially I was daunted because obviously ‘Mad Max’ is synonymous with Mel Gibson, a much loved character by many people. At the same time I was very excited to get the job.”

There was some self-doubt imposed by this knowledge, on this Hardy mentions he thought “Everybody loves Mel as ‘Max’ and nobody is going to want me at all, it’s like being the new boy at school.” Fortunately for the intriguing actor Miller’s blessing made him feel safe, “George has created the car-chase and the post-apocalyptic movie some forty years ago, so then there was no real pressure to try to fill anybody’s shoes or to be a new ‘Mad Max.’ I felt like I was inheriting a legacy. I’d been chosen by George to transmit his vision and his character.”

The film is definitely as much about Max as it is about Furiosa, and Miller was always clear on this, “These two characters at the beginning are both desperate and they effectively try to kill each other.” But as the narrative evolves we discover that even in this extreme vision of a post-apocalyptic world human emotions are still very present. Tom Hardy understood that his Max goes through a psychological journey in the film and that this was at the core of the film, “[Max] is supposed to be broken. We start out with him living a hermetic lifestyle trying to be left alone, then we see him open up throughout the movie and connect with humanity.”

Lastly, Thereon discussed the challenge that the lack of dialogue meant for the actors given that most of the characters barely speak in the film, “Language is a crutch, dialogue is a crutch and it’s so easy to just have a great writer write you a line. But George was just so adamant about keeping this on track and about the understanding of the world being so bare that language would be such a luxury that these people would never have access to.” On a lighter note, the actress also dished out on how liberating it was to shave her head and not having to spend time worrying about her hair. This decision also helped give Furiosa a tougher look.

You can catch all the action and outrageous fun of MAD MAX: FURY ROAD this Friday.

An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and almost everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order. There’s Max, a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos. And Furiosa, a woman of action and a woman who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland.