Tom Hardy Isn't Playing Mad Max In Furiosa - So Who Is?
All eyes are on "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga," which debuted for certain press members earlier this week. The response to the "Mad Max: Fury Road" prequel has been very enthusiastic. While positive receipts are enough to compel viewers to check out George Miller's latest action flick, fans were surprised to learn that "Furiosa" features the return of Tom Hardy's Mad Max. Miller revealed that the movie features a brief Max cameo, though he didn't confirm if Hardy reprises the role. During a group interview for "Furiosa" attended by Screen Rant, Miller cleared the air, stating that Hardy is not in "Furiosa." Instead, Jacob Tomuri, Hardy's stunt double, plays Max.
"It was Jacob Tomuri ... He also did some other stunts. He's a New Zealand stuntman, and he was doing some other stunts on the film, and I thought, 'Who better?'" the director said. Tomuri has been Hardy's stunt double for several years, collaborating with the actor on his Venom movies, "The Revenant," "Legend," and, of course, "Fury Road." Before working on 2015's Mad Max flick, Tomuri got his break in the stunt world by performing in all three Lord of the Rings films.
Based on Miller's initial comments, Max's cameo is probably brief, with the character likely only seen from a distance. It's unclear if Tomuri has a speaking role as Max in "Furiosa."
How Jacob Tomuri became Tom Hardy's stunt double
For Jacob Tomuri, performing a cameo as Max in "Furiosa" is a full-circle moment, as the first time he worked with Tom Hardy was on "Fury Road." While speaking with Stuff, Tomuri mentioned that Charlize Theron's stunt double, Dayna Grant, suggested him for the Mad Max flick. "It was a complete career-changer. Not knowing how hard it'd be was a blessing in disguise. I worked grueling six-day weeks for seven months then needed months to defrag," the stunt performer said about his experience on director George Miller's chaotic "Fury Road."
It's no surprise that Tomuri's strongest memory from "Mad Max" is how difficult the entire process was. "Mad Max: Fury Road" had tons of behind-the-scenes trouble, overcoming that adversity to become one of the greatest action films of all time. When Tomuri saw the film, he knew the hard work was worth it. "Tom and I snuck into a screening and I was captivated," the stunt double told the outlet, adding, "Then I had goosebumps seeing my name when the credits rolled. I never dreamed of doing anything of that caliber." Things haven't changed, as Chris Hemsworth described "Furiosa" as his most stressful shoot yet.
Following his impressive work on "Fury Road," Tomuri became Hardy's go-to guy, working with him on several subsequent projects. Because of how much Tomuri has done to help sell Hardy's image on-screen, it makes perfect sense that Miller called him up for the Max cameo.
"Furiosa" crashes into theaters on May 24.