Tucked away in the heart of downtown LA, a nondescript sliding gate gives way to a lofty, cavernous warehouse. There’s a makeshift classroom in one room. In another, shelves filled with stereo TVs. A vintage Cadillac Eldorado is stationed out back, gleaming in the California sun. This was the set of Anya Taylor-Joy’s cover shoot for Vogue Hong Kong – a shoot so seismic that it was accompanied by a 4.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled Los Angeles.

Strolling on to the Vogue Hong Kong set, Taylor-Joy’s wide doe eyes reveal a piercing intensity. Stark blonde locks are contrasted with a delicate bounce and gentle curl. Her stately, elegant frame is punctuated by sharp angles – defined collarbones, a pointed jaw. And then she breaks into laughter, and all that felt untouchable is softened instantly by a wide, generous smile and sunny laugh. She’s barely had time to introduce herself, but her presence is undeniable.

This formidable sense of gravitas has lent itself immeasurably to her acting roles. Case in point: her most recent film starring as the titular Furiosa in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Taylor-Joy had 30 lines of dialogue throughout the film, yet was able to capture the nuanced humanity and deep rage of her character throughout. While a picture may be worth a thousand words, the depth of expression felt in Taylor-Joy’s eyes alone may be worth a million more. That, combined with her unwavering dedication and commitment to each and every role she plays, is what has made Taylor-Joy an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. 

If you weren’t an actress, what do you think you would be doing?

I think I’d be a travel journalist. I really love to travel and getting to know other people’s cultures. I’ve realised that I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so I think that plays into it. Or I’d be working with animals – I’ve always loved orcas and tigers specifically, so whatever would let me work with both of them. Oh, a National Geographic writer! That’s what I’d be doing.

You only had 30 lines in all of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. How were you able to portray the nuance and complexity of Furiosa without much dialogue?

Characters come through so differently each time, I really don’t have a method of discovering them. She was just immediately there. The second that I read the first script, even though the script changed quite a bit by the time we got to filming, I had her essence very deeply embedded within me. I was also supremely protective. I think I fought more for this character than I had fought for any other character. George had such a specific vision for what he wanted her to be and I just felt like it was my responsibility to fight for any moment where you could see a little bit of her rage come out.

Can you share the most memorable notes given to you by director George Miller throughout the filming process? 

The dance between actor and director varies with each individual. George had this image of Furiosa as almost like a Clint Eastwood character, he wanted her to be incredibly stoic. And I felt like my contribution was that I’ve always felt like you need to see the humanity behind that, if you want people to fully invest in a character. George encourages you to be in almost like a university-type setting where every choice you have to justify – and you don’t justify it once. You justify it thousands of times if it’s going to make it in the movie. It was really great training for me not only as an actor but also as somebody that hopes to direct one day. Your conviction has to be unwavering if you want something to make it into one of his movies.

How did your love of dance and performance translate to acting? Do you think your formal training in ballet helped with fight choreography for the intense stunt scenes in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga?

My background as a dancer has helped me with everything in my life. It’s not only the discipline that it instills in you. I danced ballet from ages 3 to 15, and it doesn’t matter if you go to a party; you’re up at five o’clock in the morning to get to that six o’clock dance lesson. I see acting as a rhythm thing; I almost hear it as music, and that helps so much with stunt choreography because you’re in a dance with every other performer around you, so you don’t only know your own beats, you know everybody else’s beats in order to keep everyone safe.

I relished the opportunity to be able to do as many stunts as I did, because there’s a very specific perfectionism that comes with stunts where you can do something kind of right or you can get it completely right and that’s not often the case in life. And I loved it.

What do you think is your favourite talent or skill that you’ve learned through acting?

The car stunts are pretty cool, especially if you’ve never driven before, and that’s the first thing you do in a car. What I love most about learning new skills are the people that teach me about them, because they’re obviously phenomenal in their field, and I’m attracted to any kind of passion.

I’m also very intrigued by what I’m able to do as a character that I wouldn’t be able to do as myself. So, Anya is very afraid of heights, and yet if you have my character jumping off a building, you will yell ‘action’ and I’ll do it. It’s this crazy mind trickery that happens where you think ‘I can’t do this – but she can’.