There is always a story to remember when Tom Hardy is on set. I mean, we all remember his feud with Charlize Theron on Mad Max: Fury Road. Now that’s what we call intense! The actor who has gained worldwide popularity for playing tough guy roles is quite experienced in walking out of his film sets bruised and battered. And something similar happened when he played Tom Conlon in Gavin O’Connor’s Warrior (2011).
Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton played the roles of two estranged brothers and their journey in a mixed martial arts tournament. Of course, the film involved the two actors getting into fights for the camera and this ended up with both Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton hurting each other. From torn ligaments to broken bones, the two went through a lot to give such natural performances for the fans.
How Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton Got Injured While Filming
Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy appeared for an interview with Den of Geek back in 2011 where the two talked about the pain they endured on the set of Warrior. When asked if either of them actually got injured while filming or training, Edgerton replied,
“My shining moment was getting my MCL ligament torn on a grade three tear. I had six weeks of rehab for that. Apart from that, the odd elbow or punch in the face. Everyone was getting knocked around. You couldn’t really be an actor in this process without getting knocked around.”
Hardy also chimed in joking that thanks to all the fighting, there was never any room to act since his co-star would keep hitting him,
“There wasn’t any room to act, was there? It was so annoying. [Laughs] I want to act, but he keeps hitting me! Not my face! As Gavin [O’Connor] said, ‘It’s a fuckin’ MMA movie! It’s not a fuckin’ kite flying movie, now man up!’ But it hurts!”
In an interview with Interview magazine, Hardy recalled his own injuries stating, “I broke my ribs, I broke my foot, I tore ligaments in my right hand, and I took a real smashing.”
However, both actors knew what they were signing up for. Edgerton and Hardy revealed that they had both been given the appropriate briefs from director Gavin O’Connor about what he expects them to do and what they should expect from the shoot.
Tom Hardy’s Intense Training for Warrior
While talking to Interview magazine, Hardy revealed the absolutely brutal training he had to go through to prepare for Warrior. Apart from the usuals, the actor practiced with professional martial artists, Nate Marquardt, Anthony Rumble Johnson, and Yves Edwards.
“Yeah, I started training in December when I was doing another film and we trained all the way through to shooting, six weeks straight fighting with Nate Marquardt who’s a middleweight for the UFC, Anthony Rumble Johnson, who’s another middleweight for the UFC, Yves Edwards from Pride. It was the most intense seven-day-a-week training and then we trained all the way through the first two months of shooting as well till we actually got into the ring.”
He even compared the training to that of his gritty crime/drama, Bronson stating that it had nothing on what he did in Warrior.
“It was pretty intense, a step up from Bronson on fighting…Yeah, much more fight-oriented then Bronson. Bronson was more violence.”
Well, when Hardy is involved in a role, you just know he is going to give it his all. No matter what it takes!
You can watch Warrior on PlutoTV or Tubi TV.
Source: Den of Geek; Interview Magazine
