Should Tom Hardy Expect An Oscar For The Dark Knight Rises?

Tom Hardy, one of Hollywood’s most promising up-and-coming actors, is about to appear in the biggest film of his career: The Dark Knight Rises. Though not a household name just yet, expect that to change when the film exponentially increases his star power. Audiences around the world are eager to see how the young British actor performs as Bane, the primary villain in The Dark Knight Rises, and on July 20th we will get the chance.

Yet to say Tom Hardy has big shoes to fill would be a massive understatement. He’s following in the footsteps of Heath Ledger, who not only won an Oscar for his portrayal of The Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight, but also crafted one of the best on screen villains of all time. Ledger set the bar so high that many doubt Hardy will be able to deliver a more impressive villain.

That being said, Hardy is surely aware of this. Director Christopher Nolan knows this as well. Warner Bros. knows this and everyone working on the film knows this. We all know that Ledger gave a legendary performance and that audiences have extraordinary expectations of Hardy. If one remembers, though, many had doubts as to whether Ledger would deliver back in 2008, and as previously stated, we all know how that turned out.

Personally, I love Tom Hardy, but at first, I too felt skeptical. Like so many others, I wondered if Hardy could live up to Ledger and make Bane as memorable as The Joker. Though not fully convinced at first, the recent marketing blitz from Warner Bros – including photos, footage, and promotional material – has me thinking that Hardy may truly have what it takes.

In fact, I’m even at the point where I’m asking myself the following question: Can Tom Hardy expect an Oscar for The Dark Knight Rises?

For those still unfamiliar with Tom Hardy, he’s an actor of incredible pedigree. He broke out with 2009’s Bronson and started his rise to fame with 2010’s Inception. Since then, he’s been on a roll: 2011 saw him give two very fine performances in Warrior and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; this year, we’ve seen him charm with This Means War, we’re looking forward to his lead role in John Hillcoat’s Lawless, and of course, he’s aiming to break the bat in The Dark Knight Rises. Looking ahead, the actor is attached to tons of projects and his profile seems to rise further every day.

Now, if you’ve seen any of the aforementioned films you’ll know why this man is so impressive, but furthermore, he’s a remarkable talent because of what he had to overcome to get to where he is. For those that don’t know, Hardy battled alcoholism and a crack cocaine addiction and spent time in rehab. He didn’t always have it easy, and his career path wasn’t always set out for him. He worked hard to get to where he is today.

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