Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron recall their intense feud on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road. Released in 2015, director George Miller developed the critically acclaimed science-fiction film as the fourth installment of his Max Max series co-created with Byron Kennedy, a series that began with the first film in 1979. Fury Road enjoyed numerous accolades upon its release, and the film notably achieved the status of the highest-grossing film in the entire Mad Max series.
The story of Mad Max: Fury Road takes place in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world that consists of a harsh desert wasteland with incredibly scare resources, the bulk of which the antagnonistic leader, Immortan Joe, hoards along with his enslaved Wives. The narrative follows the story of Imperator Furiosa (played by Theron) as she rebels against Joe by fleeing with the Wives in search of the matriarchal tribe from which Furiosa descends, the Vuvalini, and their idyllic land called the "Green Place." Simultaneously, Max Rockatansky (played by Hardy), a captured survivor of the societal collapse, escapes Joe's citadel. The two characters cross paths on the famously lethal Fury Road, and they join forces in defense against the quickly approaching enemy chasing after them. As the two overcome the dangers of the malevolent wasteland that serves as the backdrop of Fury Road, they also overcome their initial distrust of one another for the greater good of their mission and for the greater good of humanity.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, members of the cast and crew of Fury Road, including Hardy and Theron themselves, along with Nicholas Hoult, reflected upon the actors' infamous "feud," which derived from both a volatile clash in the actors' vastly different approaches to acting as well as different expectations for timeliness and professionalism on set. The animosity between the two grew to the point that, as Theron recalls, "everything was about survival" in the face of the intense hostility that involved episodes of shouting matches followed by periods of refusal to speak to one another. Some members of the cast excused Hardy's aggression and lack of professionalism by citing his devotion to method acting that made him unreliable– however, many recall, including Theron herself, that his disrespect and angry provocation reached the point that Theron felt truly threatened and resorted to calling a woman producer as an ally to accompany her at all times to assure her safety, as well as attempt to mediate between the two actors. Read their quotes below:
Nicholas Hoult (“Nux”): 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.
Charlize Theron (“Furiosa”): He’s right, it was like two parents in the front of the car. We were either fighting or we were icing each other—I don’t know which one is worse—and they had to deal with it in the back. It was horrible! We should not have done that; we should have been better. I can own up to that.
Tom Hardy (“Max”): In hindsight, I was in over my head in many ways. 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.
Such tactics failed to mend the deep-seeded resentment, and any hope of a remedy for Hardy and Theron seemed futile –however, to everyone's astonishment and relief, cast members reassuringly recalled that the filming of a pivotal scene marked a turning point in their relationship. Directly after wrapping the scene in which Hardy and Theron ride together on a motorcycle as the Vuvalini and the Wives follow closely behind, cast members recall their "goosebumps" watching the civility and cordiality of the actors' interactions with each other. An insistence throughout the various casts' recollections is that this shift in Hardy and Theron's demeanors enabled and then mirrored their powerful portrayal of Max and Furiosa's relationship evolution over the course of Fury Road.
Still, Mad Max's widely lauded themes of feminist empowerment through Theron's portrayal of Furiosa clash uncomfortably with the reported toxicity and aggression of Hardy's behavior towards her during its filming. Hopefully, these progressive themes also in a way transcend such conduct, however, as Hardy himself admits in the interview that Theron needed a "better...more experienced partner in me" and hopes that now he could "rise to the occasion,", suggesting that the years since the making of the film graced him with an opportunity to grow and develop accountability as an actor and human. In any case, both actors now reflect upon the incident with a mature detachment, and above all, a reverence for the evolution of their relationship and for each other over the course of the filming of Mad Max in a way that underscores the strength of the movie and mirrors the arc of the characters' relationship itself.
Source: Vanity Fair