Anya Taylor-Joy was left "traumatised" when she watched 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' back.

Anya Taylor-Joy (c) Jonny Marlow for Variety

Anya Taylor-Joy (c) Jonny Marlow for Variety

The 28-year-old star plays the titular character in George Miller's prequel to 'Mad Max: Fury Road' and has reflected on how watching a rough cut of the picture provoked a strong emotional reaction.

Anya told Variety: "Within the first three minutes, I'm crying. And afterward, I cannot speak. I found it very traumatising to watch."

The 'Last Night in Soho' actress also revealed that Miller constantly wanted her to perform scenes with her mouth closed – although she could understand why in the context of the movie.

Anya said: "We'd do takes where he'd be like, 'Do it again with your mouth closed.' He has a thing about my mouth. He thinks when my mouth is open, I look too young.

"This is the wasteland, and any outbreak of emotion is punished by death. Any empathy is punished by death – any kindness, really. It all made sense to me.

"I think the restrictions that were placed on me by George did create a radiation off the character, because she is being suppressed continuously throughout the film."

The star thinks that she may have been selected for the part of Furiosa by Miller because she is not a performer who relies heavily on her voice.

Taylor-Joy said: "Furiosa doesn't talk much. She's a pretty silent character.

"I hope that's part of the reason George chose me. Until I was doing Furiosa, I didn't quite realise that's been a lot of my career – a lot of my career has played out in my eyes."

Read the full feature with Anya-Taylor Joy at https://variety.com/2024/film/news/anya-taylor-joy-furiosa-dune-3-surprise-wedding-1235992889/