George Miller Wouldn’t Let Anya Taylor-Joy Shave Her Head for ‘Furiosa’

George Miller wanted Anya Taylor-Joy’s Furiosa to feature long flowing hair, despite Taylor-Joy wanting to shave it all off like Charlize Theron did.

The “Furiosa” writer/director denied Taylor-Joy’s request to mirror Theron’s bald take on the character from “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015). According to Taylor-Joy in an interview with Empire magazine, Miller asked her to stay away from any drastic haircuts.

More from IndieWire

• 2024 Oscar Nominations: 'Oppenheimer' and 'Poor Things' Lead This Year's Picks

• 'Azrael' Review: Samara Weaving Silently Runs for Her Life in a Feature-Length Chase Sequence

“I was so excited to shave my head,” Taylor-Joy said. “Then George saw me in real life, and went, ‘No, we can’t!'”

Taylor-Joy said she immediately felt a connection to the Furiosa character upon reading the script.

“I feel very lucky that, from the second I read the script, I just knew this person. I felt so fiercely protective over Furiosa, and fiercely protective of her interests,” the “Northman” star said.

Miller cast Taylor-Joy after seeing her performance in thriller “Last Night in Soho.” The actress auditioned for “Furiosa” with the “I’m mad as hell” speech from Sidney Lumet’s “Network.”

“Anya did one version, which was really good. Then I gave her just a couple of simple notes about intention and she just absolutely nailed [it],” Miller told Empire magazine. “I think it was done on an iPhone. I sent it to the studio. I explained why I thought she was right for the role. I said I was really happy to talk about it but it was so persuasive that we didn’t need to talk. The studio said, ‘Tick.'”

Taylor-Joy told IndieWire that “Furiosa” was the “dirtiest and the bloodiest” she’s ever been onscreen.

“I’ve been on a different planet for the last seven months,” Taylor-Joy said about filming the action movie epic in Australia. “I think I need to sit down and attempt to try and digest what’s happened over the last seven months. But I’m incredibly, incredibly proud of it, and so proud of all of the people I got to work with, and just the amount of love and effort and work that went into it, I’m excited to see it.”

Taylor-Joy also recently appeared in “Dune: Part Two” as Timothée Chalamet’s onscreen sister.

Best of IndieWire

• The Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now

• Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 54 Films the Director Wants You to See

• Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.