Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller opens up about the bad blood that developed between Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy on the set of the hit 2015 action-adventure film.
Miller, 79, said he thought the tension was a result of Theron, 48, and Hardy, 46, diving into their respective characters of Imperator Furiosa and Max Rockatansky.
“I’m an optimist, so I saw their behavior as a reflection of their characters, where they had to learn to cooperate to ensure mutual survival,” Miller said. The Telegraph Saturday.
The filmmaker said of the tension between the stars: “There’s no excuse for it, and I think there’s a tendency in this business to use great performances as an excuse for other disruptions that could be avoided.”
Miller is promoting her new film Furiosa, a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road that casts Anya Taylor-Joy, 28, in the role of Theron previously played.
Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller opens up about the bad blood that developed between Charlize Theron, 48, and Tom Hardy, 46, on the set of the 2015 action-adventure film.
The Oscar-winning director, 79, thought the tension was a result of Theron and Hardy immersing themselves in their respective characters. Photographed in Los Angeles this month.
The 2022 book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road details problems in the film’s production.
The book included claims that the Oscar-winning actress at one point asked producers to provide her with “protection” amid a searing tension with Hardy.
In the book, written by journalist Kyle Buchanan, Theron said Hardy often didn’t arrive on time, leaving her and the team waiting more than three hours on one occasion, according to People.
Mad Max: Fury Road camera operator Mark Goellnicht said Theron, who was always on time, was “really going to make her point” about her dissatisfaction with Hardy’s tardiness.
When Hardy appeared, Theron asked him, “How disrespectful are you?” and he said the film’s producers should fine the actor “one hundred thousand dollars for every minute he delayed this crew,” according to the book.
Hardy was “pretty aggressive” in his response to Theron, who “really felt threatened” in return, Goellnicht said, adding: “That was the turning point, because then she said, ‘I want someone for protection.’
On Saturday, Miller characterized the differences between the actors as “two very different performers.”
The Academy Award-winning director explained how celebrities varied in their professional practices at the time the film was being made.
Miller, photographed with Theron on the set of the 2015 film, said the A-list actress was “always the first one on set.”
Mad Max: Fury Road was a commercial success when it hit theaters in May 2015, grossing $379,436,354 worldwide.
Miller posed with the film’s stars at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Miller said Hardy “has a damage but also a brilliance that goes with it, and whatever was going on with him at the time, he had to be coaxed out of his trailer.”
“Tom has a damage, but he also has a brilliance that goes with it, and whatever was going on with him at the time, he had to be coaxed out of his trailer,” Miller said.
He continued: “Whereas Charlize was incredibly disciplined, a trained dancer, which showed in the precision of her performance, and always the first on set.”
Miller said that in the production of Furiosa, she made sure to emphasize the importance of self-care for both Taylor-Joy and her co-star Chris Hemsworth.
“You have to be obsessed with safety: physical safety, as filming progresses and fatigue sets in, but also psychological safety,” Miller said. “This isn’t like the old days anymore.”
Mad Max: Fury Road was a commercial success when it hit theaters in May 2015, grossing $379,436,354 worldwide, according to box office mojo. The film grossed $153,636,354 in domestic receipts and $225,800,000 in international totals.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is scheduled to debut on May 24.