FILMGOERS shared one of Swindon’s first glimpses of the new Mad Max movie with the original Warrior Woman herself last night.

Actress Virginia Hey got her big break on the big screen in 1981 with Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior – and the Swindon-based star cast her eye over the rebooted franchise in Regent Circus last night.

The 62-year-old Australian played alongside the original Max, Mel Gibson, in the second film of the series and couldn’t wait to see the latest given a 21st century makeover.

Virginia has given the Tom Hardy film two thumbs up, but never had any doubts George Miller and his team would succeed with their fourth film of the franchise.

“It’s absolutely gripping. I was watching the news yesterday (THU) and there is ahuge hype about it,” she said.

“It’s in line to win multiple Academy awards. The special effects are absolutely brilliant.

“I’m so proud to be part of the Mad Max family. It’s high-octane, it’s action-packed. I guess you could say that it’s a feast for the senses, without giving anything away.”

The production team working behind the camera under Miller’s direction is much the same as it was for Virginia when she worked on Mad Max 2.

And as such, she was confident the reboot would not taint the cult film series.

“When you’re part of the production and you know everyone really well, you can easily be very confident,” she said, “The stunts are phenomenal. One of the reasons Mad Max 2 was so popular was the stunts, which were extraordinary for their time.

“Not only are they on a par with 2015, they are quite ahead of their time.

“I was watching the stunts and I thought ‘no, we are going to hear about some really serious injuries’. In the second one, quite a few people were badly injured and the head stuntman broke both his legs in various places.”

And how does Hardy compare with Gibson?

“You can’t compare them. It’s a new telling of Max,” she said. “The Charlize Theron character was perhaps loosely based on my character, but there’s a lot of other characters based on the essence of the original characters.”

Virginia said she is now auditioning again for roles and picking up more acting work after spending 10 years away from film sets following her time with TVseries Farscape.

She has spent much of the past 14 years on the convention circuit, meeting fans and signing autographs around the world for those obsessed with the cult productions she starred in.

For the past 18 months, Virginia has lived in Swindon, enjoying the peace it provides her and a central spot in the UK, between her friends and business interests.

“I just found some peace in Swindon. This is the first time I have landed in the UK and felt peaceful somewhere. Who knows where I will go next?” she said.