Charlize Theron Praises ‘Furiosa,’ Says She and Anya Taylor-Joy Are Trying to Connect

Charlize Theron hosted the fourth annual block party for her Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) on Saturday, where she also shared her thoughts on the newly released movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

Furiosa, released in late May, is a prequel to the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road. In this new installment, Anya Taylor-Joy portrays the early life of Imperator Furiosa, the character Theron made famous in the earlier movie.

Theron confirmed she had seen Furiosa and told The Hollywood Reporter, “It’s amazing, it’s a beautiful film.” When asked if she had spoken to Taylor-Joy throughout the film’s development or since its release, she explained, “No, we’ve really been trying to connect. It’s been one of those — we can actually make a comedy out of it. We keep running into each other in places where we don’t have time to really talk, so we’re constantly like, ‘Oh my god, OK, let’s get together!’ And then life takes over. But it will happen when it’s right.”

For now, Theron’s focus remains on CTAOP, the organization she founded in 2007 to support the health and safety of young people in South Africa. Born in South Africa herself, CTAOP’s programs have reached over 4 million young people, concentrating on HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, education, and gender-based violence.

Reflecting on the last 17 years, Theron remarked, “I wish I was calmer about the fact that you don’t change things overnight. When we started, it was very overwhelming because these are really big problems — they’re not easy to fix, and unfortunately, they’ve been around for a long time. We went in kind of specific with HIV and AIDS; we’ve really become more holistic in understanding that there are many things to consider when talking about young people.”

Saturday’s block party, held on the Universal Studios backlot, supported CTAOP while also celebrating the release of the new Universal film Twisters. Director Lee Isaac Chung and stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Brandon Perea were in attendance.

Inside the event, Theron thanked the Twisters team for their participation, saying, “I know you guys are at the end of a very long press junket week — whatever that’s called, a wide desert that you have to cross. I’ve been there, it’s exhausting and I just want to say thank you so much for taking the time and the energy to be here tonight. It’s hard work and I don’t care, I’m still going to make you work tonight.”

Responding to Theron, Chung said, “I’m so touched by what you just said but honestly we love being here [for] the work that you’re doing with CTAOP. Movies are meant to bring good to people, I honestly believe that. That’s what we’re hoping to do as a team with this film, we’re trying to create a party for the summer, so it feels fitting to be here at this party.”

Lainey Wilson and Tanner Adell, who have songs featured in the movie, performed at the event. The backlot was also decorated with Twisters-inspired features, including a wind machine which Powell and Edgar-Jones tried out together, and a mechanical bull. The CTAOP Block Party was sponsored by Dior, CAA, Breitling, Universal Pictures, and Solyco Capital.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter