Tom Hardy is one actor who is known for his intensity and the extreme length to which he goes to commit to a role. He has starred in films where intense characters and circumstances bring out his versatility and range as an actor. Films such as Bronson, Warrior, Locke, The Drop, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, and Capone showcase the level of dedication and the ease with which he portrays complex characters in those films.
One of his early roles was in Star Trek: Nemesis where he starred alongside Patrick Stewart, As Hardy is known for his method way of approaching characters, he was in character the whole film and this strange approach limited a friendly atmosphere between him and Stewart. Stewart even claimed that Hardy’s career wouldn’t go anywhere productive.
Patrick Stewart Believed Tom Hardy Would Have a Short-Lived Acting Career
Patrick Stewart and Tom Hardy worked together in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis. Hardy played Shinzon, who is a younger clone of Stewart’s character Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Stewart didn’t seem to enjoy working with Hardy as he found his method approach weird. Hardy did not socialize on set and this created some difficulty in developing chemistry during scenes. In his memoir Making It So, he wrote about this aspect saying, (via Insider)
“Nemesis,’ which came out in 2002, was particularly weak. I didn’t have a single exciting scene to play, and the actor who portrayed the movie’s villain, Shinzon, was an odd, solitary young man from London. His name was Tom Hardy. Tom wouldn’t engage with any of us on a social level. Never said, ‘Good morning,’ never said, ‘Goodnight,’ and spent the hours he wasn’t needed on set in his trailer with his girlfriend. He was by no means hostile — it was just challenging to establish any rapport with him.”
Stewart even believed that the young Hardy wouldn’t have a long career ahead. In another excerpt from the book (via Insider), he wrote,
“On the evening Tom wrapped his role, he characteristically left without ceremony or niceties, simply walking out of the door. As it closed, I said quietly to Brent [Spiner] and Jonathan [Frakes], ‘And there goes someone I think we shall never hear of again.’ It gives me nothing but pleasure that Tom has proven me so wrong.”
Hardy slowly became one of the most dedicated and compelling actors to watch on screen. While some actors like Stewart may find his approach to roles confusing, no one can deny his ability to transform himself in various films based on what is required of him.
Luiz Guzmán Hypes Up Upcoming Tom Hardy Action Thriller Havoc
Tom Hardy has an upcoming action thriller film called Havoc which is directed by Gareth Evans. The director is known for directing the two Raid films and Apostle. One of the cast of the film Luiz Guzmán talked about the film and promised a meticulous and well-done action film that will be worth the wait. He told SlashFilm,
“Well, Gareth is, man, he’s into detail like I have never seen before. You shoot his movie, it takes two years or so to come out because he is so meticulous at his editing and what works, what doesn’t work, feels right, doesn’t feel right. ‘We’ve got to go back and reshoot this’ and stuff like that. So I respect that, man, because anybody could put out an action movie, but not like him.
It takes a while for his movies to come out. But like I said, there’s a reason, because he’s king of what he does. Also Tom Hardy is very much into the whole detailed aspect of it, too. So I’m really proud of it. When it’s coming out, I couldn’t even tell you, because again, he’s very meticulous and it’s just got to be right. But when it comes out, it’s going to hit pretty good.”
Havoc currently has no scheduled release date, but it will be streamed on Netflix once it’s announced. Hardy also has the Jeff Nichols-directed drama film The Bikeriders, which also stars Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Michael Shannon. It will be released in theatres on December 1, 2023.
