Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga Secretly Has Actors Playing Multiple Wasteland Roles

Call it a "Mad Max" rite of passage. Ever since director George Miller's 1979 original introduced the world to the utter absurdity that is post-apocalyptic Australia (honestly, just regular ol' Australia seems scary enough from the outside looking in), the gas-guzzling franchise has all but become a genre unto itself. After five total movies, culminating with this past weekend's "Furiosa," audiences are now well aware of what to expect from these idiosyncratic blockbusters. High-octane action, poignant ruminations on the future of our species, and a motley collection of freaks, weirdos, and badasses are well worth the price of admission alone. As far as series traditions go, however, one deceptively subtle trope returned in full force for "Furiosa."

The "Mad Max" movies have typically brought back many of the same cast members in different roles for the various sequels. For instance, newcomer fans may have been surprised to learn that the man behind the mask of "Fury Road" villain Immortan Joe, Hugh Keays-Byrne, had already played a completely different baddie known as Toecutter in the first film. (Following the actor's passing in late 2020, the role of younger Immortan Joe in "Furiosa" was recast with Lachy Hulme.) Actor Bruce Spence, meanwhile, appeared as both the Gyro Captain in 1981's "The Road Warrior" and Jedediah in "Beyond Thunderdome" four years later.

Now, a familiar face has taken on this mantle in "Furiosa" — with an intriguing twist. Elsa Pataky is perhaps most recognizable for her role in the "Fast & Furious" movies, but her marriage to "Furiosa" star Chris Hemsworth appears to have led to a fun quirk of casting(s): a role as a Vuvalini general and an utterly unrecognizable member of Dementus' crew.

Hot take: Nepotism hires can sometimes be good and fun. Elsa Pataky already had a cameo in another project alongside her husband Chris Hemsworth, popping up as the "Wolf Woman" who, ah, passionately swaps spit with the superhero at one point in "Thor: Love and Thunder" (not to mention her similar appearance standing in for Natalie Portman's Jane Foster in the "Thor: The Dark World" post-credits scene). "Furiosa" brings this wholesome little collaboration to another level entirely, thanks to Pataky's dual roles as an important ally to Furiosa's mother, Mary Jabassa (Charlee Fraser), and later on, as Mr. Norton, one of the heavily-scarred rivals press-ganged into Dementus' crew (as seen below).

Jasin Boland/Warner Bros. (via Entertainment Weekly)

The surprising tidbit was confirmed by Entertainment Weekly, but many viewers (including yours truly) likely missed it entirely. Pataky's Vuvalini general is the first to spring into action and attempt to save young Furiosa (played by Alyla Browne in the first half of the movie, before Anya Taylor-Joy takes over in the latter half) from Dementus' marauding henchmen. Mr. Norton first appears early on after the title character has been kidnapped from the Green Place. As one of the gang members forced to turn on their own for a spot in Dementus' gang, Pataky's unscrupulous biker emerges victorious and helps execute her former friend to earn Dementus' trust. It's a darkly hilarious turn of events considering the fact that both actors are, of course, married to one another. Who says the apocalypse can't be sweet sometimes?

Pataky isn't the only one wearing multiple masks in "Furiosa." Immortan Joe actor Lachy Hulme pulls double duty as another member of Dementus' crew, Rizzdale Pell. And Josh Helman, who played the War Boy lancer Slit in "Fury Road," returns with a whole new set of prosthetics as Immortan Joe's unfortunately-named son Scabrous Scrotus.

"Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" is currently playing in theaters.