Charlize Theron unleashed an expletive-laden tirade against Tom Hardy on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road and even insisted a female producer accompany her at all times for "protection" against her co-star.
In New York Times columnist Kyle Buchanan's book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story Of Mad Max: Fury Road, Theron and Hardy open up about the war that ensued between them.
Other members of the cast and crew also detail a highly strained relationship between the pair of actors that caused a "tense atmosphere", according to co-star Nicholas Hoult.
"It was kind of like you're on your summer holidays and the adults in the front of the car are arguing," Hoult told Buchanan in an excerpt from the book published by Vanity Fair.
"He's right, it was like two parents in the front of the car," Theron agreed.
"We were either fighting or we were icing each other - I don't know which one is worse - and they had to deal with it in the back. It was horrible! We should not have done that; we should have been better. I can own up to that."
Mark Goellnicht, a camera operator on the shoot, shared his recollection of an incident in which Theron - a new mum at the time - was pushed over the edge by Hardy's tardiness.
"He was notorious for never being on time in the morning. If the call time was in the morning, forget it - he didn't show up," Goellnicht said.
Despite producers making a "special request" for Hardy to be on time one shoot day, he was late, leaving Theron sitting in the film's 'War Rig' in hair and make-up for three hours.
When Hardy eventually arrived and "casually" strolled across the desert, Theron lost it.
"She jumps out of the War Rig, and she starts swearing her head off at him, saying, 'Fine the f**king c**t a hundred thousand dollars for every minute that he's held up this crew,' and 'How disrespectful you are!'," Goellnicht said.
"She was right. Full rant. She screams it out. It's so loud, it's so windy - he might've heard some of it, but he charged up to her and went, 'What did you say to me?'
"He was quite aggressive. She really felt threatened, and that was the turning point, because then she said, 'I want someone as protection.' She then had a producer that was assigned to be with her all the time."
Theron said she "didn't feel safe" and felt things had gotten "out of hand".
"[The female producer] was parked in the production office, and she was checking in with me and we would talk. But when I was on set, I still felt pretty naked and alone," she added.
For his part, Hardy admitted he was "over his head in many ways" during the shoot.
"The pressure on both of us was overwhelming at times. What she needed was a better, perhaps more experienced partner in me," he said.
"That's something that can't be faked. I'd like to think that now that I'm older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion."
Director George Miller said that there were things he "felt disappointment with" in the process of making the film and in hindsight, he should've been "more mindful".
"The story is all about self-preservation: If it's an advantage to you to kill another character, then you should do it and you don't think twice about it. I think that crept into the actors," he said.
