Anya Taylor-Joy Won Furiosa Role by Reading This Iconic Monologue

Anya Taylor-Joy has been having quite the career trajectory, and it doesn’t look like it’ll slow down any time soon. While she is currently preparing for the release of Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, she has a bevy of films on her plate, including George Miller’s long-gestating Mad Max prequel Furiosa. In a new interview with Empire for their “Celebration of Edgar Wright” special, Miller revealed that her audition featured an intense monologue from a famous Sidney Lumet film:

“I said to her, ‘I’d like you to do a very simple test, which is read something to camera.’ And it was the speech from Network. The ‘I’m mad as hell’ speech. Apart from the brilliance of the writing, it’s a piece that can be done to camera. It doesn’t need an acting partner. 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]. I think it was done on an iPhone.”

Needless to say, Warner Bros. approved. “I sent it to the studio,” Miller continues, “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.’”

Anya Taylor-Joy in Last Night in Soho — Image via Universal

While this might seem like a strange choice for an audition monologue, it makes a lot of sense. When Charlize Theron first introduced Furiosa to the screen in Mad Max: Fury Road, she gave an angry and passionate performance about a woman seeking a better life. When Howard Beale (Peter Finch) gives the iconic monologue in Network, he has been driven to the brink of sanity by his television station and their exploits. Having Taylor-Joy prove her might by reciting this particular monologue seems to be an inspired and rewarding decision.

Furiosa might still be a while away, but here’s to hoping production starts sooner than later. In the meantime, you can see Taylor-Joy next in Last Night in Soho, which will finally be released on October 22.

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