Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Mike Redmond | News | September 1, 2026
Despite a troubled production at every step of the way, Mad Max: Fury Road smashed into theaters and immediately claimed its place as a modern classic. You couldn’t go anywhere in the 2010s without someone singing the praises of the visual masterpiece.
Obviously, everyone knows that its leads, Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, did not get along. Hardy reportedly flipped out on Theron for rightly challenging him on being hours late, which surprise, has been a problem on MobLand.
What most people don’t remember is that the film went through an arduous casting process, which involved the necessary task of replacing Mel Gibson, who was practically synonymous with Max Rockatansky. According to Gal Gadot, that process came extremely close to choosing Tom Hiddleston for the title role.
In a new interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gadot reveals that she screentested for Furiosa alongside Hiddleston, and it was pretty intense. Via EW:
“I remember walking into this beautiful home in London, into this office, and we stayed there for four hours,” Gadot noted. “I came there with all layers; it was a cold winter day in London. I came out in a tank top. It was so intense, the work that we’d done and how much we filmed. It was amazing.”
Obviously, George Miller is a man who has a very specific vision, so it’s not entirely shocking that he went through several candidates. Based on the final product and it’s critical success, it’s safe to say he made the right call. (Although, one could argue that Tom Hardy’s behavior on set should’ve stunted his career, not fueled it along.) Would Tom Hiddleston have been better in the role? No offense to everyone’s favorite trickster god, but I just can’t see it. Theron, of course, was obviously a better choice than Gal Gadot by a country mile. Theron nailed the role so hard that chuds got mad because she was too badass. Sorry, dorks.
That being said, I love me a hot take, so here it is: Furiosa was better. Don’t get me wrong, Fury Road was great, but Furiosa had a better story that put it over the top. Was that the entire point of this post? Maybe.
