Not just glamazons

Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy may be the headliners of Mad Max: Fury Road, but the reboot of the 80s post-apocalyptic franchise also boasts five beautiful faces who provide depth to the action.

For villain Immortan Joe's Five Wives, director George Miller wanted a melody of actresses, with each one bringing her own note.

Two of the more notable names are US actress Zoe Kravitz, the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, and British model-turned-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, both of whom are more than just eye candy.

Kravitz, 26, almost did not audition for the role thinking it was a long shot, but ended up playing the hard-as-nails Toast the Knowing - one of five captive women specially selected for breeding by Immortan Joe, but who end up escaping his clutches with Theron's heroine Imperator Furiosa.

As for Victoria's Secret beauty Huntington- Whiteley, 28, she was asked to audition for the part of Splendid Angharad, the pregnant ad hoc leader of the wives.

"I went in thinking there's no way this is going to happen for me, but I always believe you should take a meeting when you're asked," she told M at Siren Studios in Hollywood.

"When (director) George (Miller) asked me to go to Australia, I was thrilled."

For Huntington-Whiteley, who made her big-screen debut in 2011's Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, Mad Max: Fury Road, which is showing here, was certainly a harder undertaking because of the six-month shoot in the harsh Namibian desert environment the cast had to endure.

The actresses did their own stunts too, including jumping to and from moving vehicles, hanging out of a car and being "thrown" up in the air.

"When I shot Transformers, I was going back to the Trump (International) Hotel and having a nice bath or spa day since it was in Chicago. "But we were really isolated for this film.

It was a tough and exhausting shoot for sure." But even though it was a physically demanding, Kravitz believes filming Mad Max: Fury Road was more emotionally challenging.

As part of their research, the quintet - including Abbey Lee, Riley Keough and Courtney Eaton - had to spend time with feminist playwright Eve Ensler, best known for her play The Vagina Monologues. Ensler has also worked in the Congo with women coping with the aftermath of rape.

WHIPPED INTO SHAPE

Kravitz said: "We didn't want to play a bunch of 'glamazons' in the back of the car and that was a concern for all of us. "Eve whipped us into shape and really tried to have us understand what it meant to be used as an object and the reality of that.

"It brought up a lot of things for us and got us close quickly, as well as bringing honesty and vulnerability to our characters." Both actresses also felt lucky to be working with Theron and Hardy. "Being stuck in an awesome car for six months with two of the best actors in the world was like a dream," Kravitz said.

"When you're (up and coming), it's inspiring to watch someone like Theron give 150 per cent every single time," Huntington-Whiteley added. "Their methods are very different. "Charlize is literally laughing and cracking a joke right before they say 'action' and then she's finishing it when they say 'cut'.

"Tom is very quiet with his process, quite insular, and really interesting to watch as well. "I think all of us just enjoyed soaking up their methods and seeing what worked for us."

This article was first published on May 20, 2015.
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