Memorable characters in large-scale Hollywood blockbusters, charismatic characters from less promoted paintings - the filmography of Tom Hardy is extremely diverse. He does not refuse to shoot in fantastic and military action films, biopic, dramas, comedies. He is invited by eminent directors who know for sure that Hardy is magnificent in any form.
How it all started
It all began on September 15, 1977 with the appearance of a son in the family of Edward and Ann Hardy. The boy was named Thomas. The family was creative, so Tom's early craving for everything related to art is not surprising. The actor’s father shot commercials and wrote comedy plays. Mom was an artist.
Tom first studied at the Tower House, then he was transferred to the Reeds boarding school. From there he was expelled for violation of discipline. Hardy got to know alcohol and drugs quite early on. Leaving Reeds, Tom settled in Richmond Theater School. Having finally established himself in the desire to become an actor, in 1998 he entered the London Drama Center. One of his teachers at the London Center was a teacher of Anthony Hopkins himself.
The first roles of Tom Hardy
Ridley Scott's military thriller “The Fall of the Black Hawk” was Tom's movie debut. The film was based on real events. Mark Bowden's book, in which Scott removed his tape, illuminated the conflict in Mogadishu. However, the film does not just reconstruct the battle, it is a historical drama.
Participation in the project of a famous director brought Tom out of the shadows. He had interesting offers. In 2002, he appeared in Matthew Parkhill's melodrama Dots Over and. True, not in the title role, but his partner in the film was Gael Garcia Bernal. And the genre of melodrama allowed Hardy to move away from the military theme.
More notable was Tom's other work. In the fantastic Star Trek saga, he played a clone of Reman Preton Shinzon. "Star Trek: Retribution" showed all Hardy's talent. The young actor is not at all lost next to the eminent Patrick Stewart. His villain does not look like a cardboard character. The viewer suddenly catches himself thinking that even sympathizes with him. This experience will later come in handy for Hardy in another picture, Batman.
Rock and Roll by Guy Ritchie
Then Tom Hardy's filmography was replenished with a wide variety of projects - science fiction, thrillers, comedies (“Escape from the Castle of Colditz”, “Marie Antoinette”, “Andromeda”, “Puff Cake”). In parallel, Hardy mastered on the stage. The play in the performances “Blood” and “Arabia, We Will Be Kings” brought him an award - an award from the London Evening Standard Theater Award. And in 2003, Tom was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Prize as the most promising young theater actor. There were strong television projects in his career. For example, the English historical series The Virgin Queen or the television drama about the homeless Stuart: Past Life.
However, a breakthrough was an invitation from Guy Ritchie. In "Rock and Roll" he got a small role, but Guy Ritchie never has passing characters, for that he is a great director. Handsome Bo, a homosexual, a gangster, a great guy and further down the list fit perfectly into the team. Guy Ritchie fans appreciated Hardy's amazing game. He quickly caught and inimitably presented on the screen the director's corporate identity: drive, humor, adrenaline and grotesque. Movies with Tom Hardy began to be revised. And the producers undertook to invite him to projects for leading roles.
Bronson
The biographical drama "Bronson" from Nicholas Winding Refn became for Tom Hardy almost a monologue. The whole film rests solely on the charisma of the actor. This is a one-man theater.
The story of Charles Bronson himself is like an absurdity, a progressive madness. All his life he strove for glory, only with very peculiar methods, without crawling out of the conclusion. He was imprisoned for assaults, robberies and resistance to the authorities. Moreover, it is not even clear whether this man was a revolutionary, going against the system, mediocrity, making his way with his fists or an aggressive madman. One thing is clear, Bronson still got his lady of the heart - fame. He was called the most dangerous criminal in England, they wrote a book about him, made a film.
So Tom Hardy, invested in this picture, got a ticket to the "first echelon". Although he had to work on his physical form. Tom Hardy, whose height is about 178 centimeters, gained muscle mass for filming. He managed to build as many as 19 kilograms to look impressive on the screen.
Skillful simulator
Christopher Nolan always selects actors very carefully for his projects. So for the film "Beginning" he assembled an incredible team: Leonardo di Caprio, Ken Watanabe, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard. Of the lesser known, but rapidly gaining popularity, and most importantly - talented young actors in the film starred: Killian Murphy, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. And Tom Hardy. He plays a simulator. A person living in any guise. In a dream, he, like a chameleon, crawls into other people's bodies, manipulating feelings and relationships.
The film "Beginning" was nominated for an Oscar and an award from the British Film Academy.
"Warrior"
After filming with Nolan, Hardy signed up to participate in a sports drama. The film “Warrior” made him go back to training again. Tom Hardy needed to be turned into a real fighter.
The actor in an interview willingly shared the secrets of a rapid gain in muscle mass. Ten weeks preceding the filming of The Warrior, Tom worked out lifting weights for two hours every day, then spent the same amount of time practicing jiu-jitsu, boxing for two hours and dancing for two hours. Such intense loads gave him the look of a professional mixed martial artist.
The Dark Knight
The form Hardy achieved for filming in the film “Warrior” came in handy for another project. Christopher Nolan, who set about creating a new Batman movie, invited him to the team. The filmography of Tom Hardy received another memorable villain.
Bane performed by Tom came out ambiguous personality. He is wild, furious, sowing destruction. At the same time, he is capable of nobility and self-sacrifice. In his understanding, he is carrying out a revolution, an update to the "fed up" Gotham. Hardy flips the template image of a comic book antihero. His Bane has more drama, and the viewer feels it.
Interestingly, Nolan took Hardy into his new film, not only because of the successful filming of The Beginning. He really enjoyed the way Tom played in Guy Ritchie's Rock 'n' Roller.
The most drunken district
After the filmography of Tom Hardy replenished with another historical biopic. In the Russian box office, a painting based on a book by Matt Bondurant was called “The Most Drunken County in the World”. In the book, Matt tells about real events from the life of his grandfather and his brothers. Bondurants were very famous personalities during Prohibition in the United States. And the film tells the story of these bootleggers.
Tom Hardy played in the film the role of his older brother - Forrest, silent, suspicious and severe.
Critics controversially reacted to the picture. However, reviews about the game of Tom were the most laudatory. He was again on top.
In 2014, several more films will appear on the screen, in which the actor has the main roles. Tom Hardy was invited to shoot in 2015. Then the updated “Mad Max” will be brought to the court of viewers. In "The Road of Fury" Hardy will play the central character - Max. Fans of the franchise can already enjoy the test shots taken for a future project.