Tom Hardy Talks About His Bad Reputation, Admits "I've Been A Dick"

There is no doubt when you’re watching Tom Hardy that you’re getting 100% commitment from the actor. However, that intensity of craft has left behind a reputation that the actor is “difficult,” with “Mad Max: Fury Road” proving to be one of the most public instances where his behavior on the set spilled into the public. But Hardy is never one to sugarcoat anything, and while he doesn’t quite agree he’s a bad boy, he does admit he’s sometimes not been the easiest person to work with.

“There’s this myth, which is quite asinine, that circulates about me — usually by those who haven’t worked with me. There’s only one thing worse than being talked about and that’s not being talked about in this game so I’d rather it be that, I guess,” he told THR. “But there are other people who I work with consistently who know that’s not the case — who just wouldn’t risk having somebody like that in their midst because there’s too much at stake. Obviously you’re going to rub people the wrong way…and I’ve been a dick. But then, who hasn’t?”

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However, Hardy says that sometimes it’s his desire to really be involved in the process and make the best product possible that throws people off, but he praises Christopher Nolan — who he’s worked with multiple times — for being able to both have a vision and be open to hearing what others have to say.

“It was great [shooting ‘Dunkirk‘] but that’s because Chris is firing on all cylinders in every aspect. There’s a genuine feeling of security with him. He has his signature on absolutely everything and he is still open to best idea wins, which is a profoundly confident [place to be]. But I used to irritate other directors, I’m sure, before I had the opportunity to do ‘Taboo‘ because I had that drive to be a bit more than just an actor,” he explains. “Not just because I want more meat in a hamburger or I want to be heard; it’s that I really care about problem-solving. I can do the acting relatively easily at this point, so my energy is kind of, ‘Oh, how can we make it better? I want to help the team.’ But the team just wants you to ‘shut up because the team needs to think.’ (Laughs.) It’s like, ‘But I’m on the team! I want to help you think.’ ‘Just f—ing shut up, OK.’ So now I have that place where I can go.”

“Taboo,” which Hardy stars in, co-wrote and co-produced with his father Chips Hardy, debuts on FX on January 10th.