Tom Hardy's Oscar nomination for 'The Revenant' caps a veritable purple patch for an actor whose fanbase grows ever larger, just as he proves his versatility in ever more demanding roles.
When he was approached to play one of the Kray gangster twins for the movie 'Legend', he told producers he would only take part if he could play both brothers, Reggie and Ronnie. The result is a seamless combination of Reggie's charm and confusion as he gets ever more involved in the dark side of London's East End, and Ronnie's psychotic ruthlessness, even while he remains impressively frank about his sexuality.
The film is just one more example of Tom Hardy's commitment to camera. To celebrate the film's home release, we take a look back at Tom Hardy's best bits so far...
The Many Faces Of Tom Hardy
Bronson (2008)(01 of09)
It was Hardy’s role in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Bronson that made critics sit up and take notice. In the biopic, he is almost unrecognisable as Britain’s most infamous prisoner Charles Bronson (given name Michael Peterson). Bulked-up, bald and sporting a handlebar moustache, Hardy put in a harrowing performance as the violent prisoner which resulted in him winning a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. For the role, Hardy gained 42lbs on his 5’9 frame in a relatively short period of time. This was achieved mostly through bodyweight resistance exercises like press-ups, pullups and a lot of ab exercises. The role required him to have a bit of weight on him so Hardy found himself putting on around 7lbs in weight a week - no mean feat!
Inception (2010)(02 of09)
Hardy’s performance in Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award winning Inception, is considered by many to be his breakthrough role. Starring alongside a plethora of Hollywood heavyweights including Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page he shines as conman and identity forger, Eames. In a scene alongside Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) he delivers one of the films coolest lines - Eames gets one up on Arthur during a shoot-out when he pulls out a much more impressive gun and finally hits the target Arthur has been aiming for. Hitting the target with his first hit, Eames turns to Arthur and says, cool as a cucumber “you mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger darling.”
Warrior (2011)(03 of09)
To prepare for his role as ex-Marine turned MMA fighter in Warrior, Hardy had to undergo an intense routine: two hours boxing a day, two hours of Muay Thai and two hours of Jiu Jitsu, followed by two hour of choreography and two hours of weightlifting, seven days a week for three months. This proved to be a walk in the park for the already well-built star and once again he received positive reviews for his performance in the family drama which was touted as Raging Bull meets Rocky. To achieve the lean fighter look, Hardy followed a strict carb free diet of around 5-6 protein based meals a day. During filming he is said to have lived on chicken and broccoli and not much else to ensure that his body didn’t store fat, a difficult regime to keep up when you are doing such intense exercise.
This Means War (2012)(04 of09)
Hardy showed his softer side when he starred alongside Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine in the 2012 romantic comedy This Means War. Pine and Hardy star as CIA agents and best friends: Hardy a divorced father who is not close to his son and Pine as a ladies man. When both men fall for the same girl they each try to outdo one another using their CIA skills to keep tabs on her and each other while sabotaging one another’s dates.
Lawless (2012)(05 of09)
In Lawless, Hardy dons an impressive southern accent to star as Forrest, one of the three bootlegging Bondurant brothers alongside Jason Clarke and Shia LaBeouf. With such a strong ensemble cast to work with, Hardy once again excels and is especially commanding as the reticent borderline saint.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)(06 of09)
With Heath Ledger winning a posthumous Academy Award for his role as Batman villain The Joker in The Dark Knight, Hardy had some big boots to fill as the villain in the final instalment of the Christopher Nolan trilogy. Once again, Hardy proved his worth as a great character actor and put in a show stopping performance as brutal guerrilla terrorist Bane. The film was a huge success worldwide and is currently both the 15th highest-grossing film of all time and the fourth highest-grossing superhero film of all time. Before he took on the role of Bane, Hardy had just three months to gain the 30lbs needed for the role. Like many of his roles this was achieved with a strict diet and exercise regime with him consuming a lot of calories while taking part in a heavy lifting weight training workout.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)(07 of09)
Hardy stars for the first time in the fourth instalment of the Mad Max franchise, the highest grossing of all, which was directed and produced George Miller who was also at the helm of the original trilogy. In it, he proved his star power taking on the lead role alongside Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult. With its apocalyptic desert backdrop the film was visually stunning and unapologetically over the top, allowing Hardy to shine as the enigmatic protagonist Max Rockantansky.
Legend (2015)(08 of09)
When it was announced that Hardy would play both of the Kray twins in Brian Helgeland’s Legend, it was safe to say fans and critics alike were excited to see how he would fare playing both the smooth talking Reggie and psychotic Ronnie. And he didn’t disappoint. He received critical acclaim for his performances and audiences visited in their droves making the film the biggest all-time opening for a British 18 certificate. In the biopic, Hardy proved his versatility as an actor with his spot on portrayal of the twins’ differing personalities. To help him get into character Hardy met with the Kray’s former enforcer Freddie Foreman for some insider tips on nailing Reggie’s quizzical nature and Ronnie’s psychotic outbursts. Foreman visited Hardy on set and told The Daily Mirror “I went down to the set and there he was stood in front of me as Ronnie.” He continued “And he nailed him off to a tee.”
The Revenant (2015)(09 of09)
Alongside star Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy was Oscar-nominated for his role of John Fitzgerald in Alejandro G Inarritu's bleak, bitter tale of a man left for dead by his fellow huntsmen.
'Legend' is available on Digital HD from 18 January 2016, DVD, Blu-Ray Steelbook and VOD available from 25 January 2016