In The Toxic Avenger, when a downtrodden janitor, Winston Gooze, is exposed to a catastrophic toxic accident, he’s transformed into a new kind of hero: The Toxic Avenger. Now, Toxie must rise from outcast to saviour, taking on ruthless corporate overlords and corrupt forces who threaten his son, his friends, and his community.
The movie, distributed by Cineverse and produced by Legendary Entertainment, has been a long time coming. It reimagines Toxie for a new audience following Lloyd Kaufman's seminal 1984 movie and countless video games and comic books (there was even a 2008 rock musical).
Directed by Macon Blair (I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore), The Toxic Avenger boasts an all-star cast that includes Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Julia Davis, Jonny Coyne, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon.
We recently spoke with Taylour, whom many of you may know for her work in Zola, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, and the upcoming IT: Welcome to Derry, about her experience exploring the weird and wonderful world of The Toxic Avenger.
Like many of you reading this, the actor wasn't too familiar with Toxie's world before joining the unrated remake's cast.
"I wasn't familiar before the opportunity came to me, but first, I got this beautiful letter from Macon Blair acknowledging my work, and why he thought the nuance of my choices would be a great addition to this wacky world. We had this amazing conversation, and then I did go and watch the 1984 version and was appalled [Laughs] that he thought I wanted to participate in cars rolling over kids' heads. Just kidding. I watched it to prepare, though our movie is a reimagining. I love the core theme of our film beyond the gore, thrills, and absurdity."
Elaborating on what drew her to the project, Taylour explained that the deeper themes present in the movie—it tackles everything from big corporations to pollution and health insurance—mixed with the absurdity of this world, were particularly compelling to her.
"I'm a fan of Macon's, so I trust him, but when I first read it, I was like, 'What did I just read?' There was something so intelligent about it. I appreciate that this film goes balls out with what is brimming beneath the surface of anyone. We're all on the verge of ripping off our clothes and screaming into the sky. That wouldn't be absurd to me in the conditions many people live through. There's so much people have to go through daily, and I appreciate that this film hands it to you, spins it, and gives you the most jokey, obvious, not careful, not conservative way of processing that."
Dinklage lends his voice and likeness to Toxie, but Luisa Guerreiro dons the suit and is who Taylour spends much of her screentime with. The Game of Thrones star has repeatedly praised Guerreiro's work, and Taylour walked away every bit as impressed.
"Oh, she's terrific. What an amazing spirit. Hard-working and down for the cause. We were shooting in Sofia, Bulgaria, in eighty-degree weather. She never complained. It was amazing to watch someone...I love people who care about the craft, so for her, she's trying to acknowledge that she's essentially Peter and the Toxic Avenger who is transformed, and has to get the mannerisms right. The different powers he has, too. She killed it."
In our review of The Toxic Avenger, we wrote, "[The movie] delivers a gloriously demented new take on Toxie and proves to be a delightfully unhinged experience full of violence, hilarious, weird jokes, and even a little bit of heart thrown in for good measure."
You can listen to our full interview with Taylour in the player below.
The Toxic Avenger is now playing in theaters.