Charlize Theron is fondly looking back on one of her most transformative movie appearances, which is now celebrating its milestone 10th anniversary.
The actress, 49, memorably portrayed the tough yet sympathetic Imperator Furiosa in George Miller's fourth installment in the Mad Max franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road, released in May 2015.
Starring opposite Tom Hardy and Nicholas Hoult, the role gave Charlize's career a boost and cemented her position as an action film star thanks to other projects like The Italian Job (2003), Prometheus (2012), Atomic Blonde (2017) and The Old Guard (2020).
© InstagramIn honor of its anniversary, the star took to Instagram with several photos from the making of the film, several of which displayed her drastic transformation for the role, which included shaving her head, sporting dramatic smoky make-up, and even getting some fake blood thrown on for good measure.
"How it started vs how it ended," she quipped in her caption, spanning from the first look of her shaved head to a selfie on set with a bloody nose. "…can't believe it's been 10 years since I shaved my head and boarded the War Rig."
"As crazy as this shoot was, wouldn't change it for a thing," she remarked. "This movie changed my life in so many ways, and I love seeing how much you all still love it a decade later."
© InstagramFans clearly were still in love with the film, responding with comments like: "Greatest movie ever made," and: "This movie changed MY life. Forever the [goat] CT!!" as well as: "Still one of my favourite movies!! I've watched it over 10 times now… you and Tom were awesome!! One of the reasons you two have become my favorite actors!!"
Fury Road was the franchise's grand return after three decades, the first since 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome with Mel Gibson and the late Tina Turner. Expectations for the film were suitably high.
© Getty ImagesFury Road received immense critical acclaim upon release, most notably for Tom and especially Charlize's performances, with many critics in particular praising the "dominant" role Furiosa takes in the story. It was also a commercial success, making over $380 million worldwide, the highest grossing installment in the franchise.
Its success managed to transcend conventional genre boundaries, earning a whopping 10 nominations at the 88th Academy Awards, a major feat for an action film. It came away with six prizes (all in the technical categories), the most of the night, losing out on Best Picture to Spotlight.
© InstagramFury Road is now widely considered to be one of the greatest action films ever made (just like one of its predecessors, 1981's Mad Max 2), and it's rumored that the director might still yet make his planned sequel, The Wasteland.
Meanwhile, a prequel film titled Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, was released in 2024 starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular character, tracking her journey as a young girl kidnapped by the Roobillies and Dementus who makes her own way through the dystopian desert land to return home. The film was a box office disappointment but received highly positive reviews.
