George Miller Spills Secrets From 4 Famous ‘Mad Max’ Stunts

George Miller Spills Secrets From 4 Famous ‘Mad Max’ Stunts

George Miller don?t need no stinkin? special effects. The writer-director behind the fast and furious action series that launched with 1979?s Mad Max ? and which continues with this week?s Mad Max: Fury Road ? is renown for executing elaborate, punishing stunts via a highly practical approach. No green screens or scale models are involved in the Mad Max films; instead, Mad Miller films each and every wackadoo stunt in the most authentic possible fashion.

While Miller?s low-budget, low-tech style on the original trilogy was mostly a matter of necessity, the filmmaker has stayed true to his style in the blockbuster-budgeted Fury Road. Despite astronomic advancements in CGI, it?s been estimated that 80-90 percent of the effects you see in the reboot were shot practically.

Given the difficulty in shooting car crashes, fiery explosions, and men rocketing through the air, there?s a story behind every stunt. We asked Miller to give us the lowdown on our favorite (and most insane) action pieces from each of the four Mad Max movies. Check it out in the video above.

The highlights:

Toecutter?s Death in Mad Max (1979)

Miller hired an actual semi-truck driver (for $50) to run over the villainous Toecutter ? in this instance, actually a ?chicken-wire? dummy of actor Hugh Keays-Byrne ? at the climax of the film?s final chase scene. But the trucker complained that the crash would damage the front of his rig, ?so we put a plate on the front of the truck,? Miller said. ?And if you look at it carefully, you can see, at the last moment one of the art directors painted on the grill and the headlights.? It?s so obvious, but the cheekiness of it all just works.

The Tanker Roll in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

The director admits he was especially nervous about the climactic shot of the first sequel. His nerves were calmed when Dennis Williams, one of his stuntman truck drivers, volunteered the roll the truck for him, apparently having flipped a rig or two as part of his day job. Once again, if you look closely you can peak behind Oz?s curtain: When the door of the rig flies off, you can actually see Williams squatting behind Mel Gibson. He was helping fix the gears, which kept getting stuck.

Related: Review: Mad Max: Fury Road Is a Madly Entertaining High-Speed Spectacle

Max vs. Blaster in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

The plan was originally to use a stunt double for the majority of Mel Gibson?s scenes during Max?s death match against the hulking Blaster in the titular fight cage. Then Gibson convinced Miller he was the man for the job? by walking face-first into a lamppost. It was a joke, ?but he sold it to me so well, that I thought, 'Mel, you should be doing the stunts,? Miller said. ?So he did all the stunts.?

The Pole Cats in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

The new Mad Max (played by Tom Hardy), Furiosa (Charlize Theron) are under constant attack in Fury Road, including, at one point, from acrobatic warriors that Miller refers to as ?pole cats? (inspired by street performers the director saw). The initial plan was to insert them using CGI, but action unit director Guy Norris filmed test footage of them vaulting from actual moving vehicles, ?and it brought tears to my eyes,? Miller said. So of course, they shot them practically, in typical George Miller fashion.