The casting of Furiosa in the iconic Oscar-winning apocalyptic thriller Mad Max: Fury Road, had a lot of contenders, so Charlize Theron decided to take it up a notch.

She went ahead and shaved off all her hair, a bold move that helped her edge out contenders like Uma Thurman. Although initially, it was for her role, as time passed, the buzz cut was something Theron fell in love with. She claimed it made her life incessantly easier, and surprisingly enough she was on time for every meeting in her life for that period of time.

During a press conference, she openly acknowledged that it had turned out to be the most effective choice she had ever made. Speaking about her role, she also delved into how it had left an emotional mark on her and what factors had initially motivated her to take on the project.

Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road

Charlize Theron Made the Best Decision of Her Life While Working on Mad Max: Fury Road

Charlize Theron actively pursues roles that allow her to embody the essence of an “authentic woman,” in its true form, and not in a wash-up preachy way. And Furiosa was precisely the kind of character she had envisioned for quite some time.

Now, Theron is no stranger to portraying strong, authentic female characters that defy conventions. One would think that a character aiming to free women trapped in a post-apocalyptic world solely for “breeding” might lack layers and complexity. But lo and behold, Furiosa turned out to be one of the most intricately woven and finely shaded characters in Theron’s career.

Thus, Theron decided to buzz off her hair. Which ultimately made both getting into the character as well as her day-to-day life easier. She said,

“After that, I was 20 minutes early to everything in my life,–It’s unbelievable how much time we spend on our hair. And I emptied two garage bags full of hair products and brushes. There’s something very freeing in that, for sure. There’s always something nice when you take that importance of your femininity and make it about something more than just your hair.”

Charlize Theron in a buzz cut

According to her, embracing femininity doesn’t require one to cast aside masculine traits and embrace only stereotypical aspects of being a woman. She expressed that adopting the badass hairdo was not only liberating for her but also a freeing experience that allowed her to break away from traditional notions of femininity and masculinity.

Uma Thurman Was Initially Considered for Furiosa

Uma Thurman‘s name came to the forefront in the New York Times oral history of the film, where the creators of Mad Max: Fury Road disclosed the “what ifs” and “buts” that were swirling before things were finalized.  According to producer Doug Mitchell, when they were deliberating on who would play Furiosa, they didn’t initially focus solely on Theron. He said,

“There were a number of names thrown out for the female lead back when we first started, [like] Uma Thurman,”

Uma Thurman as The Bride

Certainly, there’s no denying that the role would have been an excellent fit for the Kill Bill actress as well. However, the team ultimately opted for an alternative direction, and, the specific reasons for this decision remain undisclosed to this day.  And Theron was excited to come on board, as she made it one of the most iconic characters.