In the Netflix film “The Old Guard 2,” Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman play immortal warriors blessed — or cursed, depending on your outlook — with incredible recuperative powers. Stab them in the back, shoot them in the face, and wham-o, they heal in seconds. Theron’s character, Andromache of Scythia (Andy for short), has been fighting the good fight, and several bad ones, for over 6000 years; her archnemesis Discord, played by Thurman, is even older.
The action epic marks Theron’s return to the franchise five years after the critically acclaimed first film (the Times’s A.O. Scott praised the movie’s action sequences and “tone of hard-boiled melancholy.”) It also marks Thurman’s high-profile return to the action movie genre, 21 years after she starred in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Volume 2.”
The actors created two of the most celebrated action heroines of all time: Thurman’s The Bride, the vengeful, katana-wielding assassin of the “Kill Bill” films, and Theron’s Imperator Furiosa, the buzzcut-sporting, big rig-driving heroine of “Mad Max: Fury Road.” “Fury Road” was one action film among many for Theron (others include “Atomic Blonde,” “The Italian Job,” and the “Fast and the Furious” franchise). After the “Kill Bill” films, however, Thurman eschewed the action film genre for rom-coms, TV and a run on Broadway, among other things.
The two recently got together at the Netflix offices in Hollywood to discuss women in action films, on-set injuries and what they won’t do in a picture. Below are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Uma, it’s been a while since you’ve done an action movie. Why now, and why this one?
UMA THURMAN Well, I find Charlize to be very mysterious. I feel like she keeps a tight circle around her. But she’s revered and admired, and her work speaks for itself, so this was a special opportunity. Getting to work with a great actress is a precious thing, and projects are usually not designed to bring multiple heavyweight women together, as Charlize has done with this franchise. Every once in a while you see these great ensembles with, like, seven great actresses, and you always feel bad that you weren’t included! You look at them with, like, hunger.
Charlize, why did you want Uma for this?
CHARLIZE THERON I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, you and Uma should do a movie together. I want to see The Bride and Furiosa go at it. Aside from that, I’ve just always loved her as an actor. [Speaking to Uma] One thing everyone says about you is that you play these really strong characters, but that you’re incredibly kind and thoughtful, and that your energy is just really, really good to be around.
What do you like about doing action movies?
THERON I love dance, but I would never have been able to go back and be a dancer again, right? Action movies gave me this opportunity to be physical again, to be a storyteller with my body.
THURMAN I don’t actually have that much experience doing action movies. I did one that turned into two, and then I didn’t really go back.
THERON You left such a mark, you didn’t have to!
THURMAN Well, I mean, it was such an extraordinary experience, and with such a great director. Mad and wonderful, but brilliant.
Any particularly memorable injuries?
THERON Sadly, yeah, a lot. I run into people and they’re like, Oh, what happened to your arm? And I’m like, oh, I just had surgery. And they’re like, the last time I saw you, you had surgery!
I had an unfortunate injury on the first action attempt I ever did, for a bad movie called “Aeon Flux.” On day nine, I did a back handspring, and I didn’t get enough height, and I landed on my neck on a concrete bridge. I had the last surgery on my neck 18 years ago. I’ve had surgery on both elbows, my right shoulder, my thumb, carpal tunnel, fractures. A lot of fractures.
This is from movies.
THERON Yeah, from movies! I know. People are like, it’s a movie, what are you doing? But it goes back to what I was saying about telling a story with your body. A lot of times, that’s how you tell the audience who this character is. And I’m also accident prone, so I’m not blaming anybody.
Uma, I don’t expect you to compete with that.
THURMAN I’m not going to compete, but I will say that if we ever work together again, I’m going to keep a really good eye on her.
How much does this sort of thing affect your decision to take a role, or not?
THURMAN I’m really, really practical. If there’s not a big enough budget and there’s a bunch of crap underwater, I’m just like, sorry, guys. I’m like, what’s your budget? There’s a bunch of underwater stuff here? No.
THERON I am so with you. I went from like, yeah, I’m a pretty good swimmer, to: never again. I do not want to hear anything about water.
Any other stunts you won’t do?
THERON I have no desire to learn how to fall down a flight of stairs.
THURMAN No! That is not your job.
THERON It’s about time we actually recognize those performers, because they are truly part of character building. Without them, there’s a lot of stuff that would never be in a movie that I’m in. I’m never going to know how to fall down a flight of stairs, or jump on a moving vehicle. My adult woman brain is like, No thank you. I’m OK not doing that.
I think the hardest thing for me as I’ve gotten older is the recovery. My gauge is usually when I can’t bend down to sit on the toilet. That’s when I know it’s been a rough day. Where you have to hold onto both walls just to get your butt down onto the seat.
Is it still harder to get an action movie with a female lead made in Hollywood?
THERON Yeah, it’s harder. That’s known. Action films with female leads don’t get green lit as much as the ones with male leads. I think the thing that always frustrates me is the fact that guys will get a free ride. When women do this and the movie maybe doesn’t hit fully, they don’t necessarily get a chance again. With this, we were very aware that eyes were on us. It’s not a risk that studios want to take, but they’ll take it many times on the same guy who might have a string of action movies that did not do so well.
Tell me about the big battle between Andy and Discord. Discord has a katana, Andy has her ax. There are helicopters.
THERON We had three weeks to shoot that entire sequence, including the helicopters. And Uma was incredible, because she did not have the proper prep time.
THURMAN We were winging it.
THERON We were like, OK, we’re shooting tomorrow.
THURMAN I was told I had at least five days to rehearse, and then we went and met up and they were like, oh, the schedule changed. It’s actually going to be tomorrow. And I was just like, ugh. And they asked, do you want to stay and go over it? I was like, no, no, I’m going home. I’ll see you tomorrow. There’s nothing I can do in the next two hours that’s going to actually make a really significant difference.
I think for a lot of viewers, it’s going to be surreal to see you two fighting. It’s like what you said: The Bride vs. Furiosa. Was it surreal to be fighting each other?
THERON Yeah. I mean, beyond fighting, just being in scenes with Uma was surreal. I had to remind myself that I was actually in the scene with her. I’m mesmerized by you! I hope you don’t think that’s creepy.
THURMAN Well, I think you’re awesome. I wouldn’t say it’s surreal. I would say, “It’s so real!”
THERON You nerd.
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