Tom Hardy and his British fellow actor Christian Bale have been two accomplished actors in Hollywood making their appearances in acclaimed movies playing some of the remarkably iconic roles.
The duo collaborated in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, the third installment to DC’s iconic The Dark Knight trilogy. Bale continued his role as Batman/ Bruce Wayne in the film while Hardy was introduced as the iconic villain Bane who disrupted the 8-year-long peace in Gotham City established by Batman and his leagues of trusted characters.
Tom Hardy On Wearing The Mask of Bane
The Mask of Bane has pretty essential significance to the character, also, it enhanced the fear of the villainous character. However, it was not always easy for Tom Hardy to wear the mask the entire time while shooting. It has created a series of problems for Hardy and a few other actors.
Of course, Hardy loved the role and he was fit to play the character as his presence on screen was terrifying and leading the audience to experience the terror in his mind and in the real space. “It’s always fun to be the villain, much more fun than being the straight guy,” Hardy said on his preference for playing a villain over a hero.
“I had something to moan about, legitimately. So that’s nice, as an actor, to have something to legitimately moan about, especially when you’re getting paid far too much money to ponce around wearing a pair of tight pants,” he said.
But the mask, for anyone on the set, was not easy. Certainly, The Warrior actor was worthy of putting it on the face but it caused the evolution of a series of problems. “It’s got a scowling grimace on it, and obviously, it looks quite claustrophobic as well,” Hardy said.
“And I think that something that close to a human being’s face emanates a certain discomfort for people who are looking at him or her, you know? So it did its job.”
To be fair, it was Christopher Nolan’s cinematic prowess to build fear around The Masked Man, and Hardy’s efforts to build fear throughout the film were really commendable.
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Why Was The Bane Mask Frustrating For Tom Hardy and Christian Bale?
Primarily, communication was pretty difficult with the mask. Of course, Christian Bale had his own set of problems like wearing the uncomfortable Bat suit but Bane Mask impacted him too.
Although, Hardy understood the essence of the mask and at times felt a little freeing to perform with it. “Any time you put something on your face, you’re going to adopt a personality and a physicality that has nothing to do with acting,” Hardy told Total Film.
But the Legend actor also revealed the cons of the mask without mentioning if the cons outweigh the pros. But the cons are pretty annoying for the actor as it interfered with his performance at times. “The only downside is you can’t hear a f**king word anyone is saying,” Hardy said.
“Batman can’t hear me and he can’t see me speaking so we sort of stand there looking at each other for a while. We’ve been doing hand signals! I put my thumbs up when I finish my lines or I wink. And he sort of wiggles his fingers out of shot and I go, ‘OK, now I’ve got to run up and kick you in the b******s!’”
The 45-year-old further revealed that he was aware of the downside but would not let it come in the way of taking the role.
“I remember saying, ‘Hang on a minute, you’re asking me to come around the world with you, playing a villain in a Batman movie, and the only downside is I have to wear a mask? Hmm. Let me think. I’ll get back to you. No! I’m f**king there, man! Anything you need,’” Hardy said.
The troubles the actors faced with the mask did not hinder the performances at all. The movie came out as another successful installment to the iconic trilogy grossing over $1.081 billion at the global box office.
Source: Showbiz CheatSheet.
