Tom Hardy is set to star in a new series — with a working title of The Fixer — but after he learned what was broken on set, he decided to do something about it.
The series is being directed in the U.K. by Guy Ritchie for Paramount Plus. It’s a gangster drama series, specifically a Ray Donovan spin-off series, that will also feature other big names such as Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. Obviously, it has a big budget. So it’s disappointing to learn of one nearly disastrous oversight that befell some of the crew during production.
As reported by The Times, a set construction firm named Helix 3D hired about 50 freelance workers, mostly carpenters, to build many of the sets for the series before filming began in London. Helix was paid by 101 Studios — the production company behind the show.
In turn, Helix 3D was supposed to pay the freelance workers, but they allegedly failed to do so, and are now reportedly being liquidated.
The total wages are approximately £250,000, which is about $316,000.
Brian Dowling, head of Helix 3D, allegedly informed the production company only recently that not only have they not paid the freelancers, but they likely won’t even be able to pay them before Christmas.
However, it was then that Tom Hardy learned of the problem, and decided to step in for the workers and their families. He reportedly offered to pay the wages out of his own pocket and before Christmas, so that the workers need not worry about covering their holiday shopping expenses.
Paramount Plus, unaware of the unpaid wages before Dowling’s message was sent, were allegedly outraged with Dowling when learning of the issue. Executives at both 101 Studios and at Paramount informed Hardy that there was no need for Hardy to pay the freelancers, as they would pay the wages then deal with Helix 3D themselves.
An organizing official from Bectu — Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union — of which all of the freelancers are members, wrote a scathing letter to Dowling criticizing the company’s treatment of the workers.
The letter partly reads, “Our members deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and compensated on time for their work. It is wholly unacceptable that they are facing significant financial precarity, particularly ahead of Christmas.”
Hudson goes on to also take issue with Helix 3D’s lack of transparency while freelancers were doing their jobs, having no idea that they would not be promptly paid. Helix blames liquidation, but Hudson blames Helix for lack of communication and, obviously, lack of payment regardless of the situation that the company now finds itself in.
Hudson later stated, “What does seem to have been avoidable was the lack of foresight that this situation could occur, given the serious financial trouble Helix was in.”
It appears that everyone involved, except for Helix, ultimately did right by the workers.
If Hardy did end up paying the workers only to get stiffed by the company, he could always resort to his fighting skills. Hardy randomly entered a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in 2022 and won. A man of many talents, it was recently realized that he had something of a secret rap career as he was recording rap music under an alias without revealing who he really is.
Thankfully for Helix 3D, Paramount and 101 Studios stepped up to pay the workers, otherwise Paramount could’ve hired Tom Hardy as their fixer and not just in a streaming series.