Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga star Anya Taylor-Joy has said she found the upcoming film "traumatising".
The anticipated prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road sees her play a younger version of Imperator Furiosa, who is taken from the Green Place of Many Mothers by a biker gang run by Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).
Speaking to Variety ahead of the film's release on May 24, Taylor-Joy said she hadn't seen the final version of Furiosa, but has watched a rough cut that left her feeling emotional.
"Within the first three minutes, I'm crying. And afterward, I cannot speak. I found it very traumatising to watch," she said.
Related: Furiosa's Mad Max cameo isn't played by Tom Hardy
The actor said she was instantly drawn to playing Furiosa following experiences in her own career.
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"Furiosa doesn't talk much. She's a pretty silent character. I hope that's part of the reason George [Miller, the film's director] chose me," she explained.
"Until I was doing Furiosa, I didn't quite realise that's been a lot of my career — a lot of my career has played out in my eyes."
As well as Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth, the film also features The Lazarus Project's Tom Burke, Insidious' Angus Sampson and The Punisher actor Daniel Webber.
Related: Furiosa's epic runtime sets a new record for the Mad Max series
The film is already a hit among critics, with many reviewers taking to X (formerly Twitter) to share their first reactions of the post-apocalyptic blockbuster.
"Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth equally dive all the way into the Wasteland, and both deliver some incredible stuff," wrote Fandango's Erik Davis. "I love the Mad Max movies and I loved this film. Start your engines!"
The AU Review's Peter Gray added: "Now that I can say so, Furiosa is a BLAST! Made in the spirit of Fury Road, it's still its own beast that thrives on exaggerated action and characters. Anya Taylor-Joy makes the character her own, but this is Chris Hemsworth's chance to prove his worth as a character actor."
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will be released on May 24.
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Sara is an entertainment journalist who specialises in TV and film. After studying journalism at the University of Roehampton, Sara joined Digital Spy in 2023, writing news (and the occasional feature) on all things entertainment. She has also written for the culture desk at The Evening Standard. A lover of all things TV and film, Sara can wax lyrical about everything from Bridgerton to The Witcher. She can also recite entire episodes of New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation. In her spare time, Sara loves to knit, crochet and cross-stitch. Also a musical theatre aficionado, Sara counts Samantha Barks as one of her heroes and is a loyal fan of Jodie Comer.
