The co-star Tom Hardy called a “very intense” woman
While there is an endless stream of lexical options, a suitable term to refer to the many brilliant performances of Tom Hardy would be “intense”. After all, throughout his career, the London-born actor has given some of the most fearsome and memorable acting turns in contemporary cinema.
Hardy had a brief stint as a model in his early career but knew that his true passion lay in acting, and after idolising the work of Gary Oldman, he set about learning the craft at Drama Centre London. Before long, the offers started coming in and even after his first efforts in the likes of Band of Brothers, Black Hawk Down and Star Trek: Nemesis, it was clear that the acting world had a new star on its hands.
In the years that followed, Hardy showed just how far he could go with his intensity, particularly in his effort in Bronson, in which he played the titular British criminal, Charles Bronson. Of course, there were equally intense roles that came from Hardy in the future, say, his turn as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises or as ‘Mad’ Max Rockatansky in Mad Max: Fury Road.
Interestingly, his work on the latter film, directed by George Miller and released in 2015, saw Hardy collaborate with another actor whom he had admitted to the intensity of. In an interview with GQ, Hardy was asked whether his own intensity could be perceived as being somewhat off-putting to another actor, referring to the claims that Charlize Theron, who played Imperator Furiosa, had found Hardy frightening.
Hardy responded, “Possibly, but I don’t think so with Charlize. I don’t think that was the case. Because Charlize is an intense woman. Very intense, actually. In a good way.” Hardy then referred to Theron’s performance in Patty Jenkins’ 2003 film Monster, in which she played street sex worker turned serial killer Aileen Wuornos.
“That’s not somebody walking in the park,” Hardy explained. “You don’t just summon up that kind of authenticity without bringing a tremendous wealth of artistic ability. 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.”
In terms of the “bollocks” of the press surrounding Mad Max: Fury Road, it was widely understood that a huge rift had emerged between Hardy and Theron as a result of Hardy’s on-set behaviour. The actor was believed to have become “aggressive” during filming, and when Theron accused him of wasting the cast and crew’s time by turning up late, he “charged up” to her, meaning that a female producer had to come on board for the rest of the shoot.
The moment serves as one of Hardy’s biggest regrets, and he later admitted that he was “in over his head in many ways”, although he also pointed out the fact that there was “overwhelming pressure” on both he and Theron. Of course, with both actors giving their usual intense performances in Miller’s film, it was easy to see why a rift might have emerged.
Despite the highly-publicised falling out that took place on Mad Max: Fury Road, it’s clear that Hardy has huge respect for his co-star Theron, with the actor finding particularly admiration for her effort in 2003’s Monster, a performance with all the intensity of his personal very best.
