The production of George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road led to one of the best action movies ever made. Just ask actor Charlize Theron, who’s built a career in part through rigorous experiences on a slew of action epics. However, those sorts of gigs aren’t exactly known for being easy rides. In discussing her experiences on the set of the 2015 legacy-quel, Theron recently revealed that while it looked like she and her co-stars were baking in the sun, the reality was quite chilling.
As she guest-starred on a recent episode of the Smartless podcast, Charlize Theron dished on how her time as Furiosa literally left her cold. In fact, hypothermia was actually a part of the equation, as she told hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett the following story:
It was actually cold. Really cold. It looks hot, yeah it was freezing. We had a lot of cases of hypothermia. Especially the young girls who only wear bandages. A lot of them got hypothermia. I was freezing just ’cause when you don’t have hair on your head, you forget it’s a heat releaser. It was really cold, actually.
Anyone who remembers the stories of Theron and co-star Tom Hardy’s explosive arguments may now see an extra layer behind why she might be furious over Hardy’s tardiness. Beyond just keeping to a schedule for the sake of the production budget, when working in freezing conditions that could induce hypothermia, timeliness is everything. The same would have applied if Mad Max: Fury Road had been shot in sweltering heat –as Theron implied it looked onscreen — or any other extreme conditions experienced while making an intense movie.
One has to wonder if the same sort of conditions were present during George Miller’s recent revisitation to the Furiosa story? Stories have come out from the set of Anya Taylor-Joy’s prequel in recent months, as well. Though Joy’s tales from the Mad Max universe involve things like stunt driving without a driver’s license, there’s bound to be other stories that come out during the eventual press tour for that 2024 release. Much like Miller’s constant expansion of Max Rockatansky’s world, the possibilities are endless.
No matter what the cast of Fury Road is doing now, you could probably bet everyone has their own story of hypothermia to tell. In terms of Charlize Theron’s memories, that story involves a lesson in the perils of performing either in bandages, or without a full head of hair. Should she every have to recreate that feat for another project in the future, she’ll at least have some knowledge on how to stay cool, even when the temperature gives you no choice.
While Mad Max: Fury Road isn’t currently streaming, you can see Charlize Theron in action in F9! As the film is currently streaming for those readers with an HBO Max subscription, preparation for her return in next year’s Fast X couldn’t be easier. That film will hit the schedule of 2023 new movie releases on May 17th.