Inside Anya Taylor-Joy's Brutal “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” Role: 'I Put My Whole Body Into This' (Exclusive)

Anya Taylor-Joy and her collaborators pull back the curtain on her “ferocious” performance

Anya Taylor-Joy embodies one of cinema’s most intense action heroes in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

In taking on the role of Imperator Furiosa, warrior of the post-apocalyptic Wasteland, the 28-year-old actress “brought something ferocious, far beyond what I thought possible,” says writer-director George Miller in a new behind-the-scenes featurette shared exclusively with PEOPLE.

“I have very much been in her head,” says Taylor-Joy in the clip. “This character is so inspirational. She’s opened up a whole other universe for me.”

Related: Everything to Know About the Mad Max Prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

The Queen’s Gambit Emmy nominee inherited the role of Furiosa from Charlize Theron following 2015’s hit Mad Max: Fury Road. (Playing Furiosa as a child in the new movie is Alyla Browne.) 

In Furiosa, an origin story for the character spanning years, fans get to see another actress take on the iconic role while getting several questions answered: Where did Furiosa come from? Why does she have a mechanical arm? And what’s the story behind her epic war rig?

“I put my whole body into this, utterly, at every level,” says Taylor-Joy. The featurette also includes behind-the-scenes footage and snippets of interviews with her costars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke, who agree with that assessment.

“Anya brought such a passion, such a depth,” says Hemsworth, 40, who plays the villainous Dementus. “She is Furiosa.”

“There’s a real brutality” to Taylor-Joy’s performance, says Burke, 42, the actor behind war rig driver Praetorian Jack. While the high-octane “whirlwind” that Miller, 79, conjures on the big screen “is going on around, you just feel like she brings you in,” he adds.

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“When she sets her mind to something, that is it,” explains Taylor-Joy — as clips of fiery Furiosa footage offer glimpses of that tenacity. “Her refusal to go down, that is the only way through it. You have no idea who you are dealing with.”

Related: Anya Taylor-Joy 'Still' Doesn't Have a Driver's License Despite Doing Wild Mad Max Car Stunts for Furiosa

The star’s dedication to the character has been evident since news of her casting broke in 2020. That year on an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Taylor-Joy spoke about finding out she'd earned the role.

"It's difficult to put into words; I feel so humbled and grateful," she said at the time. "The first thing that went through my head when I found out I was going to do it was, 'I am so excited to work so hard. I am going to work so hard at this.' "

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is in theaters May 24.

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