When women lead the action
The way “The Old Guard 2” ends — especially the showdown between Charlize Theron and Uma Thurman — leaves you hanging, but it’s clear the action film about immortal warriors out to protect humanity is setting audiences up for a trilogy.
There’s no word yet from Netflix, as of writing.
But if anything, this action film deserves recognition for the statement it’s making about women in action. In case you didn’t know, behind the stunts and the mythos of the sequel is a powerhouse team of women creatives leading the narrative and production.
That includes director Victoria Mahoney, who also happens to be the first female director to work on a “Star Wars” film.
During The STAR’s interview with Victoria — whose vivacious energy we felt right away even through a Zoom screen — she said she was immediately drawn to the project not by a flashy pitch, but by what the first film had proven and what the second one promised.
“Action and drama, drama and action, action and drama, drama and action — cast, crew, locations,” she listed when asked what attracted her to the project in the first place.
“There was no pitch,” she added. “Dana Goldberg (chief creative officer) from Skydance called me on a Saturday to ask me if I would consider something. And I was like, what’s the one line? And she told me that one line, but she didn’t say the name of the project. She just said that one line. And I was like, tell me more. Then she said there’s a script, I’m going to send it. And then she said the name. And I was like, whoa.”
“I was a fan of the first film… and people know I love action,” she continued, explaining that she is particularly impressed with movies that possess the ability to blend “dramatic beats and sincere discussions” about the human condition with hardcore action, whether it’s a “fist fight, a knife fight, car chase, a bicycle fight, I don’t care.”
“I mean, (the Korean film) ‘Yellow Sea,’ one of my favorite films in the world. (A character is) running as a car’s trying to get him, but he’s running for his life and he’s running in a real street which we’d never be able to do in America. They’d never give his permits. He’s running and his car’s trying to take him down and he is on foot and you feel it. You feel the terror of hoping he gets away.
“So I think that the cast, obviously in the first film, they’re all actors that I deeply respect and would love to have worked with and they meant something to me. They all have some one or more jobs that have impacted me creatively… So that was, you know, no brainer.”
The filmmaker also came into the picture armed and ready, so to speak, presenting hundreds of visual references and materials for possible execution. “And then I had clips for all the action that I gave to Dan Bradley that was very specific for some of the car stuff,” she recalled.
Dan is a veteran Hollywood stunt coordinator and second-unit director whose work can be seen in the “Mission: Impossible,” “Bourne,” and “Indiana Jones” films.
“I sent him 80 videos of fights, kicks, punches, you know?” she added.
“As one must, you know, this is the realm of Darwinism. You don’t make it to the next day unless you’re prepared. There is no survival except preparation. And preparation allows for an exciting, fun journey. The absence of preparation only invites madness, chaos, insanity and dysfunction. None of the things I’m interested in, ever. Not even at the coffee shop for lunch, I’m not interested in it,” she mused.
Doing the sequel right
This mindset extended to the film’s female stars, especially Charlize, who returns in the role of Andy — the battle-hardened warrior who has since lost her immortality — and as producer.
The actress credited the success of “The Old Guard 1” as the fuel to do the sequel right. It reportedly amassed 185 million hours watched in its first 28 days, enough for it to land among the Top 20 most-streamed Netflix films of all time.
“I mean, I think it was flattering for us to know that people loved it and then people connected with the mythology and the characters because it was a lot of work to try and condense that into a film with all of these really, you know, nice layered characters,” Charlize also told The STAR.
“And when Netflix wanted to go ahead and greenlight it (sequel), I think we all felt like let’s go to work… Our pre-production was long because we really wanted to get it right, but I think ultimately we were all happy to go back if it was for the right reason and we all felt like, you know, was the material that we wanted to go back with.”
Charlize’s work both behind and in front of the camera became a learning experience for co-star KiKi Layne, who plays Nile, the youngest known immortal. When asked about what working closely again with Charlize had taught her about being an action star, KiKi shared: “The first thing that popped in my head — this is actually from ‘The Old Guard 1’ — the very first thing that we filmed was the fight scene on the plane,” KiKi recalled. “Which just threw me into the fire, OK? I was so stressed. Like, ‘Oh my God, if I hit Charlize Theron in the face, my career is over.’
“But I remember on that day, just watching how much you (addressing Charlize) knew about filmmaking, about the shots, about what camera they were using, about what order we were going to film what bits of the choreography. And I just respected that so much.”
Reacting to KiKi, Charlize stressed the importance of transparency between directors and actors. The mentoring was apparent in their exchange.
“I’ve always felt like it was so unfair when directors used to always keep that stuff so secret… I just think it’s not helpful to filmmaking. You should know… I’m older, so I just have more experience. But you should know that stuff,” she said.
Meanwhile, among the newest faces in the sequel is Uma Thurman as the long-lost immortal Discord. One of the OG female action stars, presence in “The Old Guard 2” was celebrated by both KiKi and Charlize.
“We got very lucky,” Charlize enthused. “She was such a great addition. I think especially for us women in ‘The Old Guard,’ we love the idea that this character came in as a strong female in the aura of Uma Thurman. She’s just so formidable.
“I think we’re all just massive fans and I think there’s something about her that’s very smart and thoughtful and we needed that for this role of Discord. And she just handled it so delicately. She didn’t come in very heavy-handed and kind of mustache twirly or anything like that. She’s just a really grounded actor. So we were really lucky to have that.”
So, in the end, “The Old Guard 2” doesn’t just continue the story; it somehow represents the kind of progress many hope to see in Hollywood: more women, especially women of color, being trusted with big stories. KiKi Layne shared how much that meant to her.
She said, “It means everything, you know. For me to be able to be starring in an action film alongside Charlize and Uma, these two women — I mean, y’all broke open representation for women in action. Like, I know that part of the reason I get to do this is because of a way that y’all paved.
“And then for the first film and the second film to be directed by Black women, and for you (Charlize) and your company and Netflix and Skydance to give these Black female directors an opportunity that, you know, we’re often left out of those conversations — and to see how much of a blessing it can be for their careers as well, and what this film has done for mine as well — I’m incredibly grateful. And grateful to be able to represent my community in spaces that we’ve been left out of in meaningful ways.”
(You can now stream the film via www.netflix.com/TheOldGuard2.)
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