People Are Seriously Intrigued By Anya Taylor-Joy’s Experience On The “Mad Max” Prequel’s Set After She Admitted She’d “Never Been More Alone” Then Refused To Elaborate

In 2022, Charlize Theron revealed that she felt so threatened by her costar Tom Hardy on set that she required protection. She also claimed that producers forgave his “really bad behavior” because he was a man.

In Kyle Buchanan’s tell-all book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, more than 150 people who were involved in the almost-two-decade making of the movie didn’t hold back as they recounted their grueling days in the desert. 

In the book, Charlize admits that she “didn’t feel safe” and requested a woman producer be drafted in to help “equalize” the tension during filming. However, when Denise Di Novi was hired, director George Miller barred her from the set — which Charlize said left her feeling “pretty naked and alone.”

Tom denied that Charlize ever felt threatened by 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,” however, other stars from the movie verified that there was a bad atmosphere on set.

In 2017, Zoë Kravitz also pointed out that the tension may have been exacerbated by the environment that they spent six months filming in, explaining: “[We were] also in the desert for so long, I think everyone was tired, and confused, and homesick. We saw nothing but sand for six months; you go crazy.”

Despite the behind-the-scenes drama, Mad Max: Fury Road was a huge success and received 10 Academy Award nominations — and its highly-anticipated prequel, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, is due for release later this month.