Anya Taylor-Joy’s role in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is different than one would expect after Mad Max: Fury Road, and I’m stunned by how the movie handles her. The announcement of a Furiosa prequel movie set before Mad Max: Fury Road came with the eventual confirmation that Charlize Theron would not return to her famous role. Instead, George Miller elected to cast one of Hollywood’s rising stars, Anya Taylor-Joy, to become a slightly younger version of the future Imperator. It was assumed that Furiosa would be a major showcase for the actress as the lead of a big-budget blockbuster.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a movie that is still very much focused on Furiosa’s story, but that does not make how it uses Anya Taylor-Joy any less surprising. Even before the movie’s release, it was known that the main conflict was between Furiosa and Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), the man responsible for killing her mother. There was every expectation that Furiosa would centrally follow Anya Taylor-Joy’s character as she sought revenge on Dementus by working for Immortan Joe. While that is true, the surprise comes with how long the movie makes us wait to see its lead actress.

Anya Taylor-Joy Isn’t In The First Hour Of Furiosa

The Movie Focuses On A Younger Furiosa At First

Anya Taylor-Joy’s role in Furiosa is so stunning because the movie doesn’t even include her for the first hour. Instead, the film spends roughly its first 60 minutes following a younger version of Furiosa, played by Alyla Browne. Everything from her young days at The Green Place, her first encounter with Dementus, her mother’s death, and the years spent as Dementus’ prisoner and “daughter” are all showcased. It is not until the third chapter, titled “The Stowaway,” that Anya Taylor-Joy makes her first on-screen appearance in Furiosa.

This is quite shocking because of how unusual it is for a movie’s leading cast member not to be shown for such a long stretch, especially to start the movie. The best Mad Max movies have done this before by waiting to fully reveal Mel Gibson’s Max Rockatansky in the first film, but the wait was nowhere near as long. Furiosa sort of gets away with the approach by still keeping the titular character involved, but it still makes Anya Taylor-Joy’s eventual appearance nearly feel unexpected. It feels almost like two different Furiosa stories joined together.

Anya Taylor-Joy Doesn’t Speak As Furiosa At First

Furiosa Is Silent As Part Of Her Cover

Once Anya Taylor-Joy does appear in Furiosa, her role is still limited because Furiosa does not speak. She is posing as a young boy working for Immortan Joe and the War Boys in the Citadel, and she has chosen to be silent to conceal her identity. This leaves Anya Taylor-Joy with only her emotions, facial expressions, and body language to communicate how Furiosa is feeling for a long stretch. It’s not until she is aboard the first War Rig when it is under attack that Furiosa finally lets Anya Taylor-Joy speak.

Taylor-Joy’s lines are still rather limited in the movie after this point though. This is a staple of the Mad Max franchise, as George Miller has previously given his lead actors minimal dialogue in prior installments. Charlize Theron’s Furiosa might not be the most talkative character in movie history, but she had no restrictions on speaking. There was no expectation that Anya Taylor-Joy’s version would have to be silent for extended sequences. That could leave viewers confused as to why she doesn’t speak right away, as well as why she rarely talks until Furiosa‘s ending.

Anya Taylor-Joy Is Incredible As Furiosa Once The Movie Unleashes Her

She Fully Becomes Furiosa After The Wait

Furiosa certainly makes audiences wait to get the full experience of Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa, but she certainly delivers once the movie sets her free. Her performance incorporates the many subtleties needed to convey Furiosa’s thoughts and feelings properly, and she can do it flawlessly, whether through dialogue or a single look. The movie has to make her look like Charlize Theron to lead into Furiosa‘s post-credits scene, and Anya Taylor-Joy fully embodies the character’s personality, appearance, and more by the end. She has the pain, the power, the determination, and more.

It is through Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance that she ultimately shows why she was an excellent choice to play this younger Furiosa. She goes beyond just looking like the Imperator, but there are even points where her voice sounds almost identical to Charlize Theron’s. It can become a bit uncanny at times of how much she looks and sounds like the character we know so well from Mad Max: Fury Road. While I never doubted Anya Taylor-Joy’s ability to deliver an incredible performance, it is still stunning to see the transformation take place throughout Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.