Vanity Fair has shared a look into Kyle Buchanan‘s new book Blood, Sweat & Chrome, which explores the troubled production behind Mad Max: Fury Road. There’s a lot we don’t find out about until many years later when people start discussing the ins and outs of working with different talent and the troubles they face. The new book on Fury Road revealed that there was an ongoing war between Charlize Theron, who played Furiosa, and Tom Hardy, who took on the role of the titular Max. We’ve long wondered what may have happened to a potential sequel, but it looks like working on the film wasn’t a lot of fun for everyone involved.
In the interviews, it seems that there was quite a bit of tension between the two. Hardy gets described as “very provocative” that didn’t mix well with Theron‘s general approach. The animosity already was there during pre-production which carried over into the actual shooting of the film, where it even hit a boiling point even if they believe it may have added to the overall experience that fit the film’s core narrative. As director George Miller pointed out:
The story is all about self-preservation: If it’s an advantage to you to kill another character, then you should do it and you don’t think twice about it. I think that crept into the actors.
George Miller
The excerpt of the book includes one specific storyline when Theron arrived on set in time and was ready to shoot, but Hardy was nowhere to be seen. She arrived on set and got into the War Rig waiting for him. She was so annoyed by his behavior, she actually spent around three hours, sitting in the vehicle with make-up and in full costume before he took his time to show up on set. That day, it seems it led to a full confrontation as she cussed him out for his behavior. She even highlighted that she didn’t “feel safe” on set.
It’s very fascinating to learn just how different these two actors were and how this project ended up forcing both into a situation where their worlds seemingly collided. While the film has become a cult classic, it might not be easy to look at it the same way as before knowing just how much animosity was hiding behind the scenes. Yet, as Miller pointed it, it may have ironically added a bizarre heightened reality to the experience.
Source: Vanity Fair
