Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy’s Infamous “Mad Max” Feud Explained

In 2022, a tell-all book about the making of Mad Max: Fury Road made a series of bombshell revelations about the tense working conditions on set — particularly between the two stars, Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy.

Meanwhile, camera operator Mark Goellnicht claimed that the “turning point” between the two actors was when Tom showed up to the set three hours late despite a “special request” to be punctual.

Charlize corroborated Mark’s story, and said that Denise Di Novi was drafted in to help when she asked for a woman to be added into a position of power on set to “equalize” the tension.

Charlize added that she felt like she was “walking on thin ice” for several weeks of the shoot, and George confessed in the book that he would “probably be more mindful” if confronted with the same situation again.

Despite this, Tom denied that Charlize was ever “frightened” of him, saying: “She’s a very serious actor. So, I don’t see why she would ever be intimidated by me or in any way feel frightened. I think that was more bollocks.”

And George Miller, the director, has now said that there was “no excuse” for the way that Tom and Charlize behaved on set in a new interview with the Telegraph, where he also revealed that Tom would refuse to leave his trailer at times.

Interestingly, Charlize recalled a similar experience during filming for Fury Road, where she said that she had to demand her character had a cathartic outburst — ultimately leading to Charlize improvising a now-iconic scene where she drops to her knees and lets out a primal scream.