'Mad Max' director George Miller opens up on feud between Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy on set of film

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ director George Miller is recalling the feud that brewed between Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy while filming the 2015 action-adventure motion picture.

The 79-year-old Miller who is awaiting the release of his ‘Mad Max’ prequel ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ on May 24, recently opened up about the animosity that developed between the two stars nine years ago. At one point, Theron even sought "protection" from Hardy.

George Miller shares reason for the feud between Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy

The veteran director shared that he showed optimism while dealing with the bad blood between Theron and Hardy, as he felt it was an extension of the actors imbibing themselves in their characters of Imperator Furiosa and Max Rockatansky.

Miller shared with The Telegraph on Saturday, May 11, “I'm an optimist, so I saw their behavior as mirroring their characters, where they had to learn to cooperate in order to ensure mutual survival.”

However, regarding the friction, he also noted, “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 disruption that could be avoided.”

During his interview, the Australian filmmaker noted that the two stars were “two very different performers,” which, in essence, aided the feud.

The Oscar-winning director explained, “Tom has a damage to him but also a brilliance that comes with it, and whatever was going on with him at the time, he had to be coaxed out of his trailer.”

Noting the difference, he continued, “Whereas Charlize was incredibly disciplined - a dancer by training, which told in the precision of her performance - and always the first one on set.”

Learning from his previous experiences, Miller has emphasized the importance of “psychological” well-being on the sets of his new film ‘Furiosa’ featuring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth.

He noted, “You have to be obsessive about safety - physical safety, as the shoot goes on and fatigue sets in, but also psychological safety,” before adding ruefully, “It's not like the wild old days.”

Charlize Theron ‘felt threatened’ on the set of ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’

In 2022, journalist Kyle Buchanan released a book titled ‘Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road’ where the strained relationship between the two actors was detailed. 

The feud allegedly started with Hardy’s tardiness which left Theron exasperated. One day, Hardy reached the set three hours later than his 8 am call time, per People.

Mark Goellnicht, a camera operator on ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ detailed the situation and noted Theron was punctual and came to the set on time. 

She was ready to shoot but Hardy’s lateness delayed the filming.

Goellnicht shared, "She was really going to make a point," before adding, "She didn't go to the bathroom, didn't do anything. She just sat in the War Rig."

After Hardy arrived, Theron allegedly told him, "How disrespectful are you?" and suggested the producers should "fine the f— c— a hundred thousand dollars for every minute that he's held up this crew".

The book notes that Hardy then allegedly charged up to Theron, saying, "What did you say to me?"

Goellnicht added Hardy looked "quite aggressive" and that Theron "really felt threatened." 

The camera person continued, "That was the turning point, because then she said, 'I want someone as protection'."

Theron, too, opened up about her experience in the book, saying, "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 continued, "I don't want to make excuses for bad behavior, but it was a tough shoot. 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—----."

Hardy, nevertheless, admitted in the publication that he was "in over my head in many ways" during the filming.

He explained, "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,” added the ‘Venom’ star.