Anya Taylor-Joy discusses why she has fought for several of her characters to express on-screen rage.

During interview for GQ cover story, the Emmy-nominated actress revealed the instances where she pushed to change an emotional scene that saw her character crying to one that invoked anger.

“I’ve developed a bit of a reputation for fighting for feminine rage, which is a strange thing, because I’m not promoting violence — but I am promoting women being seen as people,” Taylor-Joy explained. “We have reactions that are not always dainty or unmessy.”

The first time the actress spoke about “female rage” was for her feature acting debut in Robert Eggers’ The Witch. Her character Thomasin is meant to cry when she is dragged from the family’s farmyard and accused of being the evil presence inside the house. However, Taylor-Joy said she couldn’t produce any tears at that moment, leading her to question why she was even supposed to be crying in the scene.

“Eventually I said, ‘She’s angry; she’s fucking pissed. She’s been blamed time and time again, and she’s not doing anything. We have to stop with the crying,’” she recalled telling Eggers.

“I feel so happy for her. Girl, fly, do your thing. Live deliciously, you’ve earned it. This world is not for you,” Taylor-Joy said of her character. “I love the ending of that film.”

The actress advocated for changes in 2022’s The Menu, when her character was supposed to produce a single tear once she learned her date had intentionally brought her to the film’s restaurant to die. But she had one question about what was written in the script: “What planet are we living on?”

“I was like, ‘Let me explain to you: I am going to leap across the table and try and literally kill him with my bare hands,’” Taylor-Joy recalled, and thankfully director Mark Mylod and co-star Nicholas Hoult were open to the changes.

When Eggers and Taylor-Joy reunited for their second film together, The Norhman, the director told the magazine that he was also receptive to her advice. Particularly, during a scene when her character has to discourage a man from touching her against her will.

“For all my championing of female rage, I’ve never been an angry person,” Taylor-Joy said. “For a long time the only time I ever got angry was on other people’s behalf. I’ve always internalized this thing of ‘I’ve done something wrong. If you treat me badly, it’s because I am the problem.’ And I’m so grateful for Furiosa, because there was a real moment where I started getting angry for myself.”

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits theaters Friday.