Charlize Theron has confirmed the fears of some men who don't like the idea of a cinematic female heroine: "Mad Max: Fury Road," she said, is an "incredible feminist movie."
Theron, who plays Furiosa, a commander leading a band of fugitives, discussed the film's feminist overtones during an interview on Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
The interviewer, noting the "rage" in Theron's performance, asked, "Is there something feminist about this film?"
"You know what I think is even more powerful about it is that [director] George [Miller] didn’t have a feminist agenda up his sleeve, and I think that’s what makes the story even more powerful, especially how the women are represented in it," Theron responded.
"George has this innate understanding that women are just as complex and interesting as men and he was really interested in discovering all of that, and I think through his need and want for the truth, he actually made an incredible feminist movie."
Those words are likely to further inflame the men calling for a boycott of the film because it appears to be a feminist plot designed to lure unsuspecting men into the theater under false pretenses.
Writing on The Return of Kings, a "blog for heterosexual, masculine men," Aaron Clarey denounced the film for its "audacity to remove the name sake of a movie franchise called MAD FREAKING MAX, and replace it with an impossible female character in an effort to kowtow to feminism."
Return of Kings says the site’s goal is to “usher the return of the masculine man in a world where masculinity is being increasingly punished and shamed in favor of creating an androgynous and politically-correct society that allows women to assert superiority and control over men.” Women and gay people are discouraged from commenting on the site.
Well, now I know what I'm doing this weekend http://t.co/JiY9O1lMDm #MadMax #FeministTrojanHorse #weekendplans pic.twitter.com/km48AVaEhp— Jessica Harris (@jessicabharris) May 15, 2015
"This is the Trojan Horse feminists and Hollywood leftists will use to (vainly) insist on the trope women are equal to men in all things, including physique, strength, and logic," Clarey wrote. "So do yourself and all men across the world a favor. Not only REFUSE to see the movie, but spread the word to as many men as possible."
Theron wasn't asked about the boycott, though she did have a sharp response for the interviewer who wanted to know exactly how she could channel so much rage into her acting.
"Where does it come from?" he asked.
"Surprise!" she answered. "Women have that. I’m not the only one."
Perhaps that should be added to the list of things to boycott, too.
Updated May 15 at 3:20 ET to reflect that Return of Kings does not consider itself a site that promotes men's rights activism as the post originally suggested.