Tom Hardy Receives Profound Relationship Advice from Charles Bronson While Preparing for Film Role

Tom Hardy Receives Relationship Advice from Charles Bronson While Preparing for Role

In 2008, Tom Hardy took on the formidable task of portraying notorious British prisoner Charles Bronson in the biopic Bronson. Known as Britain's most violent inmate, Bronson has spent the majority of his adult life imprisoned for crimes including armed robbery and grievous bodily harm. To accurately portray such an infamous man on screen, Hardy underwent an extensive physical transformation and worked to truly get inside Bronson's headspace.

In an unexpected turn of events, Bronson himself ended up giving Hardy advice on how to play him. Bronson and Hardy spoke on the phone while Hardy was in character. This conversation ended up impacting Hardy greatly, with the advice Bronson giving making its way into Hardy's future films.

Method Acting Immersion

Tom Hardy immersed himself fully in preparation for Bronson. He gained over 40 pounds of muscle and shaved his head to match Bronson's intimidating, bald look. Hardy also spent significant time learning about Bronson's past and personality, wanting to embody him fully on screen.

To take his method acting further, Hardy requested a phone call with Bronson himself. Surprisingly, Bronson agreed. The two spent hours speaking together, with Hardy in character the entire time. This conversation enabled Hardy to gain key insights into Bronson's motivations, personality quirks, and even his distinctive voice.

Profound Relationship Advice

During their hours-long phone call, Charles Bronson gave Tom Hardy a piece of advice that stuck with the actor long after filming ended. Speaking on his approach to relationships, Bronson told Hardy:

"Never let the other person know how much you love them, because that gives them power over you. Always let them think they love you more."

Though simple, this struck Hardy as extremely insightful relationship advice. Hardy felt Bronson's words rang true about vulnerability and power dynamics in romance. The advice resonated so strongly that Hardy incorporated it into his next major role.

Advice Appears in Legend

In 2015, Tom Hardy took on the dual role of playing both Kray twins in the film Legend. The film focused on the relationship between Reggie and Ronnie Kray, depicting their rise as infamous London gangsters.

When crafting the film, Hardy pulled from his memory of Charles Bronson's advice years earlier. He worked a version of the quote into a scene where Reggie Kray discovers his wife has betrayed him.

The quote Hardy penned was: "A man should never underestimate the power of a woman's love. Because once you've broken it, you will never get it back."

This sentiment channeled Bronson's advice about vulnerability in romance. By writing the line into Legend, Hardy immortalized the wisdom Bronson granted him those many years before.

Lasting Impact

Tom Hardy only spent a few hours on the phone with Charles Bronson while preparing for the role of a lifetime. In that short conversation, though, Bronson gave Hardy relationship advice he still thinks of over a decade later. This shows the tremendous impact speaking directly to an infamous figure can have on an actor.

For Hardy, the opportunity to have Bronson himself tell him how to play the role was invaluable. It enabled him to portray Bronson as authentically as possible. So much so, that Hardy was compelled to honor Bronson's advice for years to come in his films. This just goes to show that method acting, when taken seriously, can genuinely pay off in an actor's performance and mindset.

FAQs

What method acting preparations did Tom Hardy do for Bronson?

Tom Hardy gained 40 pounds of muscle, shaved his head, studied Bronson's past and personality extensively, and spoke in character with Bronson himself over the phone for hours.

Why did Tom Hardy want to speak with the real Charles Bronson?

Hardy wanted to speak directly with Bronson himself to gain key insights into Bronson's true motivations, personality quirks, and distinctive voice in order to portray him as authentically as possible.

What relationship advice did Charles Bronson give Tom Hardy?

Bronson told Hardy: "Never let the other person know how much you love them, because that gives them power over you. Always let them think they love you more."

How did Tom Hardy incorporate Bronson's advice into the film Legend?

Hardy included a version of Bronson's advice in a scene where Reggie Kray discovers his wife's betrayal, writing the line: "A man should never underestimate the power of a woman's love..."

Why did Bronson's advice resonate so strongly with Hardy?

Hardy felt Bronson's relationship advice rang true about vulnerability and power dynamics in romance, so much so that he immortalized the wisdom in his next major film role years later.