Cast on set of movie all described ‘horrible’ feud between Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron
The cast and crew members on the set of a 2015 hit film recalled the huge feud that took place between its two biggest stars while shooting.
You may be a fan of Mad Max: Fury Road but if not, you've definitely heard of the popular Australian post-apocalyptic action film franchise.
Two films have been made following its reboot, which was 30 years on from 1985's Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, starring Mel Gibson - the third film of the trilogy which caused waves in the 1970s and 80s.
Mad Max: Fury Road out-performed expectations, earning 10 Oscar nominations while winning in six categories, grossing $380 million (£284 million) against a budget of approximately $155 million (£116 million).
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It starred Hollywood heavyweights Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron as Max and Furiosa, both of whom were praised for their performances, despite not getting along too well.
Members of the film's cast and crew contributed to the 2022 book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, which documented the ups and downs of creating the flick in the first place.
Authored by Kyle Buchanan, the book paints a picture that isn't what you'd describe as plain sailing, with the feud between Hardy and Theron a hot topic of conversation.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who played The Splendid Angharad in the title, admitted it was 'very interesting to sit in a truck for four months' with the actors who 'have completely different approaches to their craft'.
British actor Nicholas Hoult, who played Nux, claimed: "It was a tense atmosphere at times. It was kind of like you’re on your summer holidays and the adults in the front of the car are arguing."
What has Charlize Theron said about the feud?
Theron seconded Hoult's statement, claiming they 'were either fighting or we were icing each other - I don’t know which one is worse'.
"It was horrible! We should not have done that; we should have been better. I can own up to that," she added.
"I don’t want to make excuses for bad behaviour, but it was a tough shoot," the South African actress continued, admitting that she was 'scared s***less' at the time.
"It came out of a really bad moment where things kind of came to blows between me and Tom," Theron explained.
One day on set, camera operator Mark Goellnicht recalled that the call time was eight o'clock and while Theron got there on time, Hardy didn't show up until 11, when she had been sitting in costume and make-up for three hours.
He claimed that she then started swearing at him, saying: "Fine the f***ing c*** a hundred thousand dollars for every minute that he’s held up this crew.
"How disrespectful you are!"
Hardy allegedly then charged up to her and replied: "What did you say to me?"
This resulted in Theron wanting a woman producer to be assigned to her at all times as she 'didn't feel safe'.
The actress behind Furiosa said that it would've been smart to bring a female producer in from the start as she recalled 'several weeks on that movie where I wouldn’t know what was going to come my way'.
What has Tom Hardy said about the feud?
Hardy even admitted in the book: "In hindsight, I was in over my head in many ways. The pressure on both of us was overwhelming at times."
He said that Theron needed a 'more experienced partner' in himself, suggesting that now he's 'older and uglier', he could rise to the occasion.
It looks like it all became water under the bridge though, as Goellnicht recalled a scene with Hardy and Theron on the bike with the Vuvalini and the Wives behind them, saying it was 'the biggest change in seeing Tom really soften to Charlize in real life'.
Apparently, Theron was pleasantly surprised by his behaviour too, with the camera operator saying: "It was great because that’s when you can see that Max and Furiosa really are a team."
Joshua Nair