For the first time ever, a Swedish interview with Tom Hardy! And, since I’m Swedish, I’ve translated it to English all by myself. :)
When MovieZine meets Tom Hardy in Los Angeles it’s because of the romantic comedy This Means War, which is a break from the 34-year-old actor’s string of heavy movies. But even there he has use of his hardboiled image, as a CIA-agent who gets caught up in a love triangle with Reese Witherspoon in the middle. Hardy himself isn’t very keen on watching romantic comedies.
“I actually think that movies are never particularly romantic. Why go to the airport to watch airplanes take off if you’re a pilot? I’d much rather have sex.”
And he’d never be the ‘loser’ in a love triangle, he claims:
“If I want to be with someone, I’ll make it happen. That’s the way it is.”
Hardy obviously doesn’t suffer from a lack of confidence, even if many of his comments are followed by a smile, suggesting a true sense of self distance. But even if it’s obvious that Hardy has a good sense of humour, comedies is the genre of film he’s the least accustomed to.
“This was the first time where I made a comedy where I play a character similar to myself. Usually I prefer character based humour, where I transform myself and my appearance.”
Concerning the diabolic bad guy Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy’s body is still reminiscent of him. The actor is visibly physically fit.
“Before, I used drugs to clear my head. Now I work out instead. But I still mostly work out when I have to because of a particular part, like Warrior or The Dark Knight Rises.”
To impersonate such an evil character as Bane was no problem for Hardy. At the premiere of This Means War he waved away the question.
“I didn’t get depressed at all. Many dark characters have been easy to keep a distance from. I feel comfortable with them, I suppose.”
His ambition is to be able to take on any genre of film:
“As an actor I get the opportunity to work with a number of different directors. It’s interesting to move between them all, since each one is almost like an island. I come from the theater and so I want to try on as many different kinds of films as possible, to see if I’m capable to produce a good result in each case.”
Some parts linger, not the least Bane:
“The Dark Knight Rises demanded a great undertaking, asking me to transform and camouflage myself to the max, with a new accent and everything. Acting always requires different aspects and to adjust to them all is something I’m a bit of a nerd about.”
The five best baddies through film history, according to Tom Hardy:
- Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), Silence of the Lambs
- Sgt. Barnes (Tom Berenger), Platoon
- Blair Sullivan (Ed Harris), Just Cause
- Stansfield (Gary Oldman), Léon
- The Joker (Heath Ledger), The Dark Knight
