He had to gain almost 20 kilograms for the part…
Tom Hardy has been in the headlines this week because of his recent comments about taking over the role of James Bond with heavy rumours suggesting that Daniel Craig will step away from the franchise.
The 39-year-old actor seemed keen on the possibility if director Christopher Nolan was involved in the movie, with the pair having worked together most recently on Dunkirk, which if the trailer is anything to go by, looks like being one of the films of 2017.
But the pair also linked up for The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, where Hardy played the role of the destructive Bane.
His portrayal of the masked villain received widespread acclaim from critics and indeed comic book and film fans.
In a few short months, Hardy had to pile on the pounds of muscle for his role as an MMA fighter in Warrior and the hulking Bane in Batman.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, he revealed that it has had long lasting effects on his body.
“I think you pay the price with any drastic physical changes. It was alright when I was younger, to put myself under that kind of duress, but I think as you get into your 40s you have to be more mindful of the rapid training, packing on a lot of weight and getting physical, and then not having enough time to keep training because you’re busy filming, so your body is swimming in two different directions at the same time.
“And then after the film I’m tired, and you maybe have to change your shape again and go back to your normal size for the next film. To go from one extreme to another has a cost. I haven’t damaged my body, but I’m certainly a bit achier than I used to be! I kind of miss it.
“Compared to Christian Bale I’ve been by no means extreme in my body changes, but for what little I’ve done, yeah, I certainly have joints that click that probably shouldn’t click, you know what I mean? And I carrying my children is a little bit harder than it used to be—but don’t tell them! “
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