Tom Hardy and Christian Bale – two of the most versatile actors of this generation who have given each delivered performances that defy the accepted norm in the cinematic world were once brought together to close the chapter of a defining trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan. The Dark Knight trilogy has fascinated the audience for as long as it has existed, and the three films remain one of the best adaptations of the DC superhero to be portrayed on the big screen to date. It’s no wonder that the union of three of the most talented artists in Hollywood would conceive the best threequel film of all time.
Also read: The Dark Knight Trilogy: 6 Most Rewatchable Scenes Of All Time
Christian Bale Reminisces Filming Scenes With Tom Hardy
What began in 2005’s Batman Begins as a slow and gloomy transcendence from the shadows to the light soon gathered pace with its 2008 sequel and Heath Ledger’s iconic, immortal, and Academy Award-winning performance in The Dark Knight. The 2012 showdown as such had to have an equally if not more intense showdown to close out Christopher Nolan’s visionary take on Batman and his incrementally realistic peek into the superhero and his world.
Tom Hardy and Marion Cotillard brought their A-game to the broken and fragmented trilogy threequel and it showed in the chaotic, more frenzied than ever take on the scale and proportion of violence and what’s at stake for Gotham and its protector. However, one aspect of the filming that didn’t quite follow the script was how practical the fight would get between Tom Hardy’s supervillain Bane and his comic-famed opponent, Batman. Christian Bale recalled in an interview with MTV News:
“You just have to commit, and you have to trust that you’re with another actor who’s gonna commit just as much. You have to give everything every single second because those are the only takes that can be used. And when you give everything, sometimes you end up causing pain. Tom’s a tough guy, and I took a few blows as well. And it’s part of the job.”
In Christian Bale’s defense, Tom Hardy did put on an incredible amount of weight and muscle mass in preparation for his role in The Dark Knight Rises. The movie, which came out in 2012, marked one of the rare few projects in the film industry that constitutes the holy grail of trilogies, where each subsequent sequel simply keeps getting better – critically and commercially.
Tom Hardy – a Deserving Bane to Christian Bale’s Batman
When the news of Heath Ledger‘s iconic take, dedication, and execution of the Clown Prince got out, artists tried (and failed) to recreate such a level of individualistic take on the comic-fabled archnemesis of the Caped Crusader. Tom Hardy had a huge expectation to meet with his Bane, a dominating presence who relied on the sheer viciousness of his physicality and his unmatched strength to beat Batman instead of the cunning and criminal hotchpotch that guided the Joker.
Hardy, as professional as he is in the method to his madness, already brings his exceptional talents and skills to the role of Bane but it has been famously known how in order to instill fear and strike terror in the hearts of the audience, Hardy stretched himself to the limits, consuming an ungodly amount of calories, and almost reaching the brink of falling seriously ill or having a cardiac arrest to match the physicality of his character.
If Christian Bale is known for his shocking transformations on screen, something he executed for his role as Batman as well, Tom Hardy was an equally deserving opponent, on the screen and off. And as far as their roles in the Dark Knight trilogy are concerned, Christopher Nolan couldn’t have chosen a better cast to lead his unnervingly wonderful DC adaptation of Batman.
The Dark Knight Rises is available for streaming on HBO Max.
Source: MTV News
