Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the biggest action hits of the year 2015. It starred actress Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy in the lead roles. The film was based on the post-apocalyptic dystopian theme. The film was written, directed, and co-produced by George Miller. It did great business at the box office and was nominated for ten awards at the 88th Academy Awards. Hardy was widely appreciated for his role in the film, however, the film would have been very different if rapper Eminem played the lead role.
Numerous actors auditioned for the role of Max Rockatansky before they zeroed in on Venom star Tom Hardy. Among the names in the mix, Eminem was one, however, he backed out from the film due to a specific reason.
George Miller almost cast Eminem for Mad Max: Fury Road
The details of the shoot and behind-the-camera action have been mentioned in the book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan. As per the book, numerous actors were considered for the role of Mad Max before Hardy was finalized. Initially, George Miller wanted Mel Gibson to reprise his role, but things did not work out, and he had to look for a new protagonist.
Miller was impressed by Marshall Mathers after seeing him in Curtis Hanson’s 8 Mile, a semi-autobiographical film about Eminem‘s roots. The director reached out and discussed the film with Eminem. The talks went well, and the director asked the storyboard artist on Fury Road, Mark Sexton, to draw up some storyboards of Max sporting blond hair. However, he had to recast for an unexpected reason.
Miller recalled,
“We did get in touch with him, though that’s as far as it went because we were going to shoot it in Australia at that point, and he simply didn’t want to leave home. I think he had the impression that if he could do it out of his home state, then he’d be up for it.”
As per the book, other actors who were considered or auditioned for the part include Michael Fassbender, Jeremy Renner, Armie Hammer, Joel Kinnaman, Eric Bana, Sam Worthington, and the late Heath Ledger.
Charlize Theron felt threatened by Tom Hardy’s actions in Mad Max: Fury Road
The actress Charlize Theron shared in the book Blood Sweat and Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan, about her experience of shooting with Hardy. She recalled,
“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 scared shitless. It kind of came to blows between me and Tom.”
Although Theron tarnished Tom Hardy’s image with her interview, the Venom star appreciated her for her work. Tom Hardy shared with The Guardian,
“Charlize laid down the finest lead character in an action movie, and that credit is much deserved; both to her as a phenomenal talent and to George for recognizing from the very start of the process that it was time to pass Mel [Gibson]’s shoes on to Furiosa, which was not only refreshing but incredibly smart.”
It grossed $380 million worldwide and is available for rent on Apple TV.
Source- Vulture
