A lot went down in making Mad Max: Fury Road. It was constantly shut down before premiering in 2015. Then when production finally began, director George Miller initially wasn't keen on casting Charlize Theron as Furiosa. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the role, though we can see Anya Taylor-Joy playing the younger Furiosa in the upcoming prequel.
Despite eventually solving the casting issue, things were still tense on set due to Theron's dispute with fellow lead star Tom Hardy. It even led the Atomic Blonde star to ask for protection from the Dunkirk actor. Here's what really happened back there.
What Started Charlize Theron & Tom Hardy's Conflict
In the oral history book Blood, Sweat and Chrome, camera operator Mark Goellnicht said that it all started when Hardy showed up three hours late for an 8 PM call time despite producers making a "special request" for him to be punctual. The entire time, Theron waited in full costume and make-up. "Whether that was some kind of power play or not, I don't know, but it felt deliberately provocative. If you ask me, he kind of knew that it was really pissing Charlize off, because she's professional and she turns up really early," added first assistant camera Ricky Schamburg.
Annoyed by Hardy's tardiness, Theron was determined to call him out. "She was really going to make a point," Goellnicht recounted. "She didn't go to the bathroom, didn't do anything. She just sat in the War Rig." When the Inception actor finally came in, the actress didn't hold back and things quickly escalated. "She jumps out of the War Rig, and she starts swearing her head off at him, saying, 'Fine the f----- a hundred thousand dollars for every minute that he's held up this crew,' and 'How disrespectful you are!'" Goellnicht recalled.
"She was right. Full rant," he continued. "She screams it out. It's so loud, it's so windy — he might've heard some of it, but he charged up to her and went, 'What did you say to me?' He was quite aggressive. She really felt threatened."
How The 'Mad Max: Fury Road' Crew Protected Charlize Theron From Tom Hardy
The heated encounter prompted Theron to "put her foot down" and ask the crew for protection. "It got to a place where it was kind of out of hand, and there was a sense that maybe sending a woman producer down could maybe equalize some of it, because I didn't feel safe," she recalled. She was then assigned a female producer who was barred from entering the set by a male producer. "She was parked in the production office, and she was checking in with me and we would talk. But when I was on set, I still felt pretty naked and alone," the actress said of the arrangement.
"You understand the needs of a director who wants to protect his set, but when push comes to shove and things get out of hand, you have to be able to think about that in a bigger sense," Theron continued. "That’s where we could have done better, if George trusted that nobody was going to come and mess with his vision but was just going to come and help mediate situations."
The Monster star added that her memories of shooting the film are kinda hazy. "I don't want to make excuses for bad behavior, but it was a tough shoot," Theron reflected. "Now, I have a very clear perspective on what went down. I don't think I had that clarity when we were making the movie. I was in survival mode; I was really scared s---less."
Charlize Theron & Tom Hardy's Relationship Today
It's unclear whether the two have patched things up. But Hardy later admitted that he should have controlled himself. "I was in over my head in many ways," he said. "The pressure on both of us was overwhelming at times. What she needed was a better, perhaps more experienced partner in me. That's something that can't be faked. I'd like to think that now that I'm older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion."
Editor J Houston Yang said that while filming the movie, it was clear "those two people hated each other" and that "they didn't want to touch each other, they didn't want to look at each other, they wouldn't face each other if the camera wasn't actively rolling." Co-star Nicholas Hoult added that it was like being "on your summer holidays and the adults in the front of the car are arguing." Theron agreed and was also apologetic about the incident. "It was horrible! We should not have done that; we should have been better. I can own up to that," she said.
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