Theron and Hardy have both commented on the tension they had while filming the post-apocalyptic action thriller, in which their characters are at odds. Theron told Esquire in 2015 that despite the abrasive nature of their relationship, they appreciated each other's work ethic. "We drove each other crazy, but I think we have respect for each other, and that's the difference," she said. "This is the kind of stuff that nobody wants to understand—there's a real beauty to that kind of relationship." A year later, she joked to the Wall Street Journal magazine that their feud may have contributed to the film's success. "Maybe the movie is what it is because we struggled so much with each other, and those characters had to struggle so much with each other. If we were chum-chum, maybe the movie would have been 10 times worse."