I was a fan of this guy before he got his breakout role. His performance in Bronson as the title character was intense and powerful, but the flick was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, which means it was a great film — just not a high-profile one. It was a rather low-key movie at the time (although people are starting to check it out ever since Refn went mainstream with Drive), and Hardy was practically invisible to Hollywood producers. His career would never be the same though after Christopher Nolan cast him as Eames, a sharp-tongued conman, in Inception.
Admittedly, he wasn’t terrible in the film, but it’s not like he was the highlight of it either. It seems filmmakers have taken a great interest in Hardy as of late, but I suspect it doesn’t have a lot to do with his acting skills (which are actually quite impressive). After Inception, he starred in Warrior and This Means War — those roles required a ton of physicality, and (in my humble opinion) ultimately didn’t make good use of his acting talent. I’m afraid that’s just how Hollywood works. “Can this guy act? Good, let’s have him wrestle for a couple hours.” He did redeem his image by playing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, and seems to be on the right track as of now, so I’m still hopeful that one day he’ll find himself on stage at the Academy Awards.
This kid shows genuine promise. I know, I know, he was already great in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, whatever. If he truly got his big break in that movie, why did he subsequently get mere supporting roles in The Wolfman and Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang? That’s right, this little guy wouldn’t know what it’s like to be a star until he played the title character in Hugo.
He’s undoubtedly a fine actor, but he possesses a trait that very few in the business own and most try (unsuccessfully) to obtain — he’s believable. It’s the way he delivers his lines, the facial expressions, the passion that goes into owning the role. I can see him in Daniel Day Lewis roles when he grows older, because he just has that raw, unique talent.
What’s he doing next? Well, he’s starring in this small, off-the-radar flick called Ender’s Game, you might have heard of it. And if you haven’t, you can check out the trailer below, it looks pretty awesome.
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