'Mad Max': Charlize Theron And Tom Hardy Reveal Messy On-Set Feud In New Book

In a new book titled "Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of 'Mad Max: Fury Road,'" Charlize Theronand Tom Hardy got open and honest about the altercation they had on the set of "Mad Max: Fury Road."

In the famous 2015 film, Theron played the role of Imperator Furiosa, a woman on the run with a group of young women trying to escape villain Immortan Joe. Hardy played Max, a loner who decides to help the group of women.

In an excerpt from the book, Theron, Hardy, and some of the film's crew members spoke about the feud, how it happened, and how it affected their relationship on set. Read on to find out what they said.

Mark Goellnicht, a camera operator on the film's set, witnessed Hardy and Theron's feud, and he spoke about it in the book. He said, "I remember the day vividly. The call on set was eight o'clock. Charlize got there right at eight o'clock, sat in the War Rig, knowing that Tom's never going to be there at eight even though they made a special request for him to be there on time."

He also explained that Hardy was notorious for never being early or even on time to set in the morning. Goellnicht said, "If the call time was in the morning, forget it — he didn't show up." It was this behavior that eventually led to his altercation with Theron.

When hours had passed, and Hardy still hadn't shown up, the mood on set got even worse. According to witnesses, Theron didn't even leave the War rig truck to use the bathroom or take a walk.

Many of the crew also said they felt Hardy was late on purpose as some kind of power play because he knew it would piss off Theron. Goellnicht said, "Eleven o'clock. She's now in the War Rig, sitting there with her makeup on and a full costume for three hours."

"Tom turns up, and he walks casually across the desert," he continued, "She jumps out of the War Rig, and she starts swearing her head off at him, saying, 'Fine the fucking cunt a hundred thousand dollars for every minute that he's held up this crew,' and 'How disrespectful you are!' She was right. Full rant."

Goellnicht then explained that despite how windy it was in the desert that day, Theron's voice was so loud that he was very sure Hardy heard most of what the "Atomic Blonde" actress said.

He recounted that Hardy then "charged up to her up and went, 'What did you say to me?'" He said that the "Venom" actor was "quite aggressive" and that it made Theron feel so threatened that she then said, "I want someone as protection."

According to the book, producer Denise Di Novi was Theron's protection for the rest of filming for Mad Max. Theron herself said, "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."

Hardy also spoke about the incident in the book and said, "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."

However, the book also stated that Hardy and Theron's relationship improved as filming progressed as he softened towards her. Goellnicht said, "That scene where you see Tom with Charlize on the bike and all the Vuvalini and the Wives behind, intermingled — that scene was probably the biggest change in seeing Tom really soften to Charlize in real life."

He said that Hardy's performance was so good there and that he treated his co-star so well that everyone on set was shocked. "He was a different person by the end," Goellnicht said, "A lot easier to deal with, a lot more cooperative, more compassionate."