Tom Hardy is one of the best Hollywood actors, whether people admit it or not.
The star not only has an impressive resume but shocks viewers again and again with his subtle acting that he can do without even using dialogue!
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But there’s a lot that fans may not know about the star! Let’s dive in!
1.The Reason He Likes To Play Villains
He’s got a point as to why he likes villains more than heroes. He says :
“Villains are much more interesting than hero leads, who are, for the most part, really boring.”
2. Crying On Cue
According to him, Tom Hardy has a hard time crying on cue. However, some things do make him cry.
Specifically: Mr. Holland’s Opus , Bambi and even Shrek .
Shrek is love, after all.
3. Tom Hardy Is Aware Some People Call Him “Intense”
But he thinks the rumors are totally unfounded… well, somewhat totally unfounded .
“Obviously you’re going to rub people the wrong way … and I’ve been a [expletive]. But then, who hasn’t?”
4. The Reason He’s A Great Actor…
“I’ve always been a liar, always been able to manipulate. I pretty much get whatever I want.”
Considering Hardy’s shady past (which we’ll get into soon), this all makes sense.
5. He Gained 40 Lbs For “Bronson”
“I was a mess after Bronson. I got really fat. I was a real road crash …”
Apparently , he gained all that weight by eating nothing but chocolate and pizza.
What’s wrong with that diet?
6. His Dark Past
Like a lot of people in Hollywood , Tom Hardy has struggled with drug addiction.
For a while, he was addicted to both alcohol and crack.
“I didn’t want anyone to know I was out of control, but I couldn’t hide it.”
“I went in thinking I’d do it for a little bit until I can go out and drink and people forgive me. But I did my 28 days, and after listening to people who had been through similar circumstances I realized I did have a problem.”
7. His Idol
Apparently, Tom Hardy’s idol is Gary Oldman. At the beginning of his career, Hardy mentioned how he would love to work alongside the legendary actor.
And he got his wish in four different films.
8. His Dog’s Name
There are two weird parts of this story. 1) Hardy has a dog named Mad Max.
9. He’s A Big MMA Fan
We all know Tom Hardy is a pretty tough dude, so it’s no wonder he’s a fan of mixed martial arts.
He actually does some training himself as well, believe it or not.
He started training when he was going to play the role of U.S. Marine Tommy Riordan.
And ever since, he’s fallen in love with the sport.
Clearly, throughout his movies, we’ve seen him develop in the fighting world. I mean, jeez, Bane sure did kick butt!
10. He And Michael Fassbender Went To The Same School
They both went to the Drama Centre London , and even though Fassbender was two years older than Hardy, he really looked up to the actor.
Apparently, Michael Fassbender was so good it annoyed Tom Hardy. “He was in an Irish play about this guy who came back from the First World War who was a great athlete but ended up in a wheelchair.”
“But at lunchtime he wouldn’t come out of character.”
“And was always in his wheelchair and we’d be like, ‘Dude! Just order your lunch and come along! We’ve got an hour before we have to go back to class! But he was the best actor in the school.”
11. He Replaced Michael Fassbender In “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
There was also a time when the two crossed paths… kind of .
Tom Hardy actually replaced Fassbender as “Tricky” Ricky Tarr, a British operative tasked with finding a mole in British Intelligence.
12. His Pinky Finger
A lot of fans don’t know this, but Tom Hardy actually has a curled pinky finger.
He got this because of an incident he suffered as a child featuring a kitchen knife.
It’s exactly what it sounds like. His finger is permanently curled.
And even though he never got it fixed as a child, his finger has never negatively impacted his life in any way.
And honestly, in most people’s opinion, it looks pretty cool.
13. Tom Hardy Loves The Ballet
You wouldn’t expect this from a guy who’s such a big, manly action star, but Tom Hardy is a big fan of ballet.
He goes to see The Nutcracker every year .
14. Tom Hardy The Model
This may not come as a surprise to anyone who is obsessed with Hardy’s looks, but he actually won a modeling contest once.
It was on a British show called The Big Breakfast .
We learned some facts about the actor through that show too!
At the time, he was 21 years old and in the middle of his time in drama school.
He loved Gary Oldman (which we know), wanted to direct short films and didn’t like football (soccer).
15. His Bowtie Problems
Tom Hardy has admitted he has trouble tying a bowtie. In fact, when he wants to wear a bowtie, he has to wear a clip-on.
He has no troubles with ties, however.
16. His Gay Experiences
We all know that Tom Hardy played a closeted homosexual in the movie RocknRolla .
But did you know that experience hits closer to home for Hardy than you may think?
He has experimented with his sexuality.
When asked in an interview whether or not he had sexual relations with a man, he said of course he has : he’s played with “everything and everyone.”
But before anyone gets too excited…
While he says he likes the physicality of a man, he has stated that the gay sex did nothing for him.
But of course, he has no problems with homosexuality.
17. His First Role
When he was in drama school, he was forced to drop out. Why? .
The paltry reason that he was offered a role in the Steven Spielberg produced show Band Of Brothers .
He said about the role:
“Band of Brothers was my first job so I was virtually out of the frying pan and into the fire, really.”
“I’d not had previous experience with working in front of the camera, so there was dealing with that. Also, I had the research material—not that I’d need it. I mean, I was in two episodes and had 12 lines. That was the sum total of work [I] had to do.”
18. His Tattoos
Since the age of 15 , Tom Hardy has been getting tattoos. That’s over 27 years under the needle!
And each one, of course, has a special meaning to the actor.
His first was a fighting Leprechaun tattoo, which he got to honor his mother’s Irish heritage.
She wasn’t all that honored, however, because she burst out crying.
Another notable one was the dragon he got because his ex-wife was born the year of the dragon.
He has since called that one a mistake.
19. His First Big Screen Role
We’ve seen a lot of great Hardy performances, but the first time we were graced with Tom Hardy’s presence on the big screen was during Black Hawk Down , where he played Twombly.
Here’s what he had to say about the role:
“I was the Ranger who got left behind. He was sort of, if you could call it, comic relief to [a] very precarious situation.”
You can say that again, Tom .
20. The Feuds
It’s no secret that Hardy has gotten into a couple feuds during his career.
The most recent was one with Shia LaBoeuf while filming Lawless . The two actors reportedly almost lost it on one another.
But they were separated before that could happen.
There are also rumors that he and Charlize Theron did not get along while filming Mad Max: Fury Road .
The same goes for him and director Alejandro G. Inarritu while they were filming The Revenant .
21. Hugh Jackman Endorsed Him For Wolverine
While the search for a new Wolverine rages on , we forget that the original Wolverine has already recommended an actor.
When MTV asked Hugh Jackman who should play the role, he immediately suggested Hardy.
