“I am the most wanted British actor” Tom Hardy says ironically. He’s come a long way from when he was 15 years old and was arrested for theft, to now, when he is 35, and is being called the new Brando. He proudly announces that he’s sober since 2003 and that he wants to take advantage of this moment, because “success lasts as long as a mosquito’s fart.” Warrior comes out Nov. 4, but Hardy has already made ​​three films, as well as having made The Dark Knight Rises by Christopher Nolan, who he already worked with in Inception. Coming soon will be Al Capone in Cicero and the remake of Mad Max.

How do you react to comparisons with Marlon Brando?
By making a fool of myself since I’m not a movie buff and I’ve never seen The Waterfront. But I know Apocalypse Now. It seems to me too soon I think I haven’t done enough yet, I still have to work my ass off for a long time.

To interpret Warrior you put on ten kilos, and ten more in The Dark Knight Rises for the villain Bane. Is transformation the way of the modern actor?
I did theater where I would have to interpret Shakespeare or imitate Chekhov. But in Warrior I fight my opponent, and was inspired by the animalistic rage of Mike Tyson. It may be a coincidence, but it seems I was only noticed when I began to change physically, when I played Bronson. The long months of eating only broccoli and chicken finally payed off.

Thursday, May 15, 2003

Did you watch Star Trek as a child?
Honestly, I didn’t. Or at least, only when I was six or seven years did I watch the series with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy a few times. I could only watch it now and again, because, mostly, I was sent to my room at six in the evening, when my mother forced me to do homework. I have never, however, watched The Next Generation. Even though I knew perfectly well what what it was. I was fifteen and I usually preferred to do things that a teenager in general wants to do; to go out of the house with friends. However, I made up for that when I did “Nemesis” as I watched all the episodes of the series and the movies on DVD. I enjoyed it very much and I appreciate very much what I saw.

Was it helpful not knowing the series?
Yes, because if I had been a fan I would never have been able to pass the audition. I would have been terrified of being rejected by a world that I loved so much and I would have been more paralyzed than I already were. Today I am amazed to be part of this great franchise, … I was very frightened, I never made a movie so important before this, I’ve never worked in Hollywood for a big production company, or with this kind of pressure and exposure to the media. But let me add one thing: not knowing Star Trek is not possible. Or rather, you can be a fan or not be, or not see it occasionally, but you would not know what it is and - above all - it’s impossible to not be fully aware of the importance of this saga. Star Trek is part of our culture.

What kind of experience was it?
It was wonderful, even though I was very scared. The only safe way to work in a Star Trek movie is to not think about what you’re doing and the damage you can do to the series. I only concentrated on my character and the artistic result that I wanted to achieve.

What was your technique?
If you can’t hide your emotions and your fears, you’d better use them, because the camera will find out. And that’s why you feel the tension between me and Patrick Stewart on the set. I was excited and I poured this feeling into my part, into my nervousness. It wasn’t enough trying to convince myself by saying: “Come on just do your job, you’ll be fine …” because when you are on a set face to face with Patrick Stewart you can’t hide. Before you is an actor who has years and years of experience. You know that they can’t go wrong. I was terrified and tried not to think about it, focusing only on my work. Besides, I wasn’t at ease even in costume. I used this feeling to give a voice to the repressed Shinzon.

In what sense?
When I read the screenplay by John Logan I was fascinated by Shinzon and the script was beautiful. But it’s one thing to read a part on the written page in the bathtub or in the privacy of your home. It’s another thing entirely to go out on a set and show the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of another human being. In this sense, the costume was very helpful. It seemed extraordinary to me, but - at the same time - it demanded a certain kind of pose. There are certain costumes that require an actor to actively manage the space made for his character. This is what the costume of Shinzon was for me, because I had to do a kind of ballet performance which balanced things.