Speaking to the BBC about his take on Dudley, Tom explained he felt the closeness between him and Elizabeth came about because of their shared history. Her affection for him, according to Tom, was born of the draw of their long-standing friendship and similar backgrounds but also in the physical attraction to Dudley. ‘He is a dashing, doublet-wearing chancer in many ways,’ observed Tom. ‘He is roguish – but also of good blood and there’s a definite passionate thing going on between them.’
Tom also seemed grateful for the chance to get away from his usual kind of role, claiming: ‘I’m not normally cast as that sort of character, dashing and British. I’ve been pining for my doublet and breeches since a part in a Christopher Marlowe play fell through about 18 months ago, and so it was such a pleasure to get them on and get a sword.’
While the prime-time television exposure would do Tom’s career no harm, it was hardly a pivotal moment in his acting career. On the personal front, though, The Virgin Queen would turn out to be a life-changer. The assistant director on the production was Rachael Speed and romance blossomed between her and Tom on the set in 2005. In interviews given during their relationship, Rachael is credited as a steadying force in Tom’s life, an element of the calm after the storm of his addiction and rehabilitation.
In interviews, Tom has retrospectively described their relationship as ‘on and off’ but, in April 2008, Tom’s life would change forever when Rachael gave birth to their son, Louis. Speaking to Arena Homme in 2008, after Louis had arrived, Tom still referred to Rachael as his girlfriend but stated that they had ‘just split up when she got pregnant.’ It’s fair to assume that they were reconciled for the pregnancy and birth of their child, but by 2009 had separated for good. Speaking to Men’s Health magazine in August 2010, Tom admitted that splitting up with Rachael after Louis was born was one of the toughest decisions he’s had to make. ‘I had a child with my ex. We weren’t right together. In my head it was a lot to do with: I must be in a family. Being brave and saying, “actually I don’t think I’m in the right relationship here” terrified me.’
Meanwhile, in 2006, the BBC’s poster boy continued his run of drama appearances. Hot on the heels of The Virgin Queen came acclaimed writer Stephen Poliakoff’s one-off drama, Gideon’s Daughter. The play is set during the closing years of the 20th century and the story begins in 1997, the year in which both New Labour swept to power and the death of Princess Diana heralded an unprecedented outpouring of collective national grief. Gideon’s Daughter starred Bill Nighy as successful but troubled PR guru Gideon Warner, whose relationship with his daughter (Emily Blunt) is foundering and who starts an affair with a grieving mother, played by Miranda Richardson. Tom played the part of Gideon’s assistant, Andrew, a young alpha male whom Tom described as ‘very astute, but not too fussy about the ethics of his business. He operates in a pretty amoral way.’
As Gideon’s personal crises take hold, he starts to become disillusioned with his work and, even though he is regarded as the master of his game, he finds himself questioning his role in the vacuous world of PR. Andrew, meanwhile, is excited by the changes going on in Britain. He represents the new guard of PR, he is someone who is attracted to power, an adept schmoozer who is determined to get to the top of his game. His path starts to go in a different direction from Gideon’s, who is tiring of moving in a world increasingly obsessed with pointless celebrity and spin.
Though the role of Andrew was not a huge part in terms of screen time for Tom, he referred to it as ‘a really lovely character role’ and was fulsome in expressing his gratitude at having been given the chance to be part of a Stephen Poliakoff project. In an interview with the BBC he said: ‘Stephen is a class act. He has his own vision and he brings it to fruition without any interference from anyone. He has complete control over every syllable. In this day and age, that’s incredibly rare. It was a privilege to work with him.’
Tom was also delighted – and slightly awed – to have the opportunity to work alongside such incredible talent as Bill Nighy and Miranda Richardson, both of whom he has described as ‘top tier’. Here was a chance for him to observe and absorb the craft from more experienced performers and he has described how he loved watching Nighy work, calling him ‘an actor’s actor’. He recognised, though, that as a less experienced actor he really had to sharpen his focus when working alongside the likes of Nighy. ‘Sometimes I get a little frightened because he is so good… as a younger actor I have to be on my game very tightly with him,’ he admitted while making the drama.
The last time Tom had ventured into the world of science fiction had been prior to his breakdown, but he was to revisit the genre for his next BBC outing. A for Andromeda was aired in March 2006 on BBC4 and was a remake of a 1961 BBC serial drama. Two interesting facts about the original series are: that it provided a screen debut for actress Julie Christie and, mysteriously, only one complete episode of the first outing has survived.
The original series was co-written by British scientist Sir Fred Hoyle and author/television producer John Elliot. While Hoyle was an accomplished science fiction author, he was a controversial, if influential, figure in the world of astronomy and maths. He was a proponent of the theory that the universe had existed for an infinite time in the past and would continue to exist for an infinite time into the future – a hypothesis that stood in direct opposition to the big bang theory. A for Andromeda proved a TV hit and was watched by 12.9 million viewers – no mean feat in 1961, in spite of the fact that at that time there were only two television channels to choose from.
The 2006 drama was significant to BBC scheduling as it formed part of the channel’s return to classic science fiction drama. In 2005, Dr Who had been revived to fans’ delight and to huge critical acclaim, plus in the same year, Richard Fell (the writer behind the 2006 A for Andromeda adaptation), had also revived a sci-fi TV classic from the fifties, The Quatermass Experiment. There were some changes made to this A for Andromeda adaptation. For one thing, the original had been a serial, whereas the newer version was a stand-alone drama and therefore required abridgement, but the essentials of the plot remained the same.
The story centres around Dr John Fleming (Tom Hardy) and a group of scientists working at a remote monitoring station in the north of England. They are shocked when they receive a message from the Andromeda galaxy which, when deciphered, gives them instructions to build a super-computer. Once the computer is built, one of the group, Professor Dawnay (played in this adaptation by Jane Asher) takes it upon herself to use the computer to build a human life form. The computer creates a being in the physical likeness of Dawnay’s assistant – and Fleming’s lover – Christine (Kelly Reilly). Named Andromeda, the humanoid is deemed to be a threat to the human race.
Originally, Tom had auditioned for the part of one of the other characters, scientist Dennis Bridger, who would ultimately be played by Charlie Cox. Once again, though, there was something about Tom that set him apart from other actors and the producers of the show realised that he could bring an extra dimension to the lead character if he was cast as Fleming. His performances to date had been standout thanks to their emotional depth – something producer Alison Willett had noticed even before the audition process got underway, having been mesmerised by Tom’s performance in Festen. ‘He has an absolute intensity to him. He came in and read for us beautifully, absolutely brilliantly, but we were all so impressed that we thought we could do something here for Fleming and make him less of a conventional hero, bring some of that angst and intensity to our lead.’ Congratulations, Tom – upgraded to the lead role in the drama!
Once cast, Tom had his own ideas about how he wanted to cultivate the character of John Fleming. He knew that he wanted him to be credible and likeable and achieving this came down in part to simple things such as his appearance. Originally, the wardrobe of the character had been envisaged as rather clinical and high-tech, but Tom soon put paid to this as he felt it would detract from Fleming’s relatability. ‘Initi
ally they wanted to put me in this all-white cool suit, slightly funky doctor type and I was, like, no, it’s got to be leather patches on tweed jacket, and cardigan and barber shirt – very important to have a barber shirt, which is old, really old, and ink-stained… and corduroy trousers and brogues with holes in – this standard uniform.’
There is a trait that often exists in those engaged in in-depth academic pursuit: a difficulty in relating to those around them and, while being able to perform hugely complex mental exercises in their area of expertise, struggling to carry out the most basic of everyday tasks, such as making a cup of tea. Tom was keen to highlight this characteristic in Fleming and in his character’s relationship with Christine – in both her forms – we see him forced to come to terms with an emotional part of his make-up probably not too often accessed.
The production schedule was demanding and the stops were well and truly pulled out to make sure filming was completed on time. The cast assembled to read through the script just three days before shooting began, and there was the added stress of the script being refined as they went through it. Plus, just 24 hours before the first day of the shoot, Tom Hardy and Charlie Cox had time to squeeze in just one hour’s practice on a climbing wall in London before they found themselves transported to the Brecon Beacons to film the rock-climbing scene at the start of the drama.
A for Andromeda was shot between 2 February and 21 February 2006 – an astonishingly quick turnaround. Tight it might have been. but director John Strickland was, according to Tom, instrumental in holding the whole production together during these tense times. Such was Tom’s admiration for Strickland’s unflappable nature, he went so far as to say: ‘I would go through hell with John on another script.’
There were a few locations for filming the sci-fi drama. For exterior scenes, the cast had to brave the often inhospitable weather conditions in Wales, while the locations used for the interior scenes were a former nuclear bunker at an RAF base in Stanmore and an MOD base in Chertsey, Surrey. None of these were too favourable and the cast found that the Surrey MOD complex was distinctly chilly, especially poor Kelly Reilly who, for her scenes as Andromeda went barefoot: ‘We were in these freezing cold warehouses. It was a case of shoot and then get by a heater!’ she recalled.
In spite of the pressure on all involved to get the drama in the can, the cast bonded well. Tom and Jane Asher already knew each other from having acted in Festen together and Tom couldn’t speak highly enough of his co-star Kelly Reilly. ‘When you work with someone who is absolutely there for you as an artist and as a person then you feel incredibly safe, and there’s a possibility to do some really good work and take things a lot further off the page. Kelly’s the full ticket. I think she’ll be hugely successful in time.’
When the drama was broadcast it provoked a mixed bag of comments from the critics. The Guardian’s comment was relatively positive and declared that the show ‘does what good TV sci-fi should: it makes you believe that two people in lab coats arguing in an empty room could result in the end of life as we know it.’ And Hermione Eyre wrote in the Independent on Sunday: ‘I really liked it, even though I knew I shouldn’t.’ The Mirror, on the other hand, complained: ‘A remake is long overdue, but this BBC version is too long on E for Exposition and too short on B for Budget to do it justice.’ You can’t please all of the people all of the time.
For Tom, though, the experience proved positive in ways that exceeded his expectations. In developing Fleming, he really felt he had a good piece of character work to use as a building block for the future. In an interview about the show, he mused: ‘John Fleming is one of my favourite characters I’ve ever played. I’m gonna use him as a foundation for other character work that I’ll be doing in the future. I was really pleased with him, actually, and I’m not easily pleased with anything at all, but I really really liked him, and that was an achievement as I didn’t see how I was going to make it work whatsoever.’
The film Minotaur had a difficult birth. After two false starts and a year in development, shooting finally started in early 2005. As the title suggests, it is a retelling of the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Tony Todd, of Candyman fame, had already been attached to star in the project but, along with new financial backing, came class act Rutger Hauer and rising star Tom – an attractive prospect all round. The difficulties in getting the film off the ground should perhaps have been heeded as an omen regarding its eventual fate: lack of commercial success and scant critical acclaim led to it sinking without trace.
Shot in Luxembourg, the film tells the story of an Iron Age village that, every five years, must sacrifice eight young people to a bloodthirsty Minotaur – which, unsurprisingly, inhabits a labyrinth below the king’s palace. A young man from the village, Theo (Tom Hardy), is lamenting the loss of his girlfriend in the previous sweep of offerings to the beast so when he discovers that there is a chance she might still be alive he decides to accompany the next batch of lambs to the slaughter.
The project was a disappointment in many ways: the characters were poorly developed and the script left a lot to be desired. Add to that a flimsy plot and a disappointingly unscary monster and you’ve got a pretty below par viewing experience. It was billed as a horror but it did little to raise hairs. The film only managed to secure a limited release, in the US, Russia and Germany – and the UK was fortunate enough only to have to endure it in DVD format.
But don’t just rely on this particular viewer’s opinion – instead take it from the horse’s mouth. In February 2012, Tom appeared on ITV’s The Jonathan Ross Show. This particular instalment of Ross’s programme had attracted a great deal of advance publicity, thanks to an audience member apparently reporting to the media that relations between the two men had soured during the course of the interview. Though Tom had been reticent when quizzed about the Dark Knight Rises film (with good reason, not wanting to spoil the surprise for film fans), things allegedly took a turn for the worse when Ross unearthed a clip from Tom’s ‘Find Me a Model’ win. Tom admitted the clip was ‘awful’ but the banter that followed was all a good-humoured wind up, as both parties were at pains to point out subsequently. Tom later remarked: ‘It was funny as hell and embarrassing, yes, but I was in on the gag and winding Jonathan up to put him in an awkward seat for a laugh.’ Tom then didn’t mince his words when suggesting which clip of his work should have been shown had the goal been to show him up, saying: ‘If people want a good laugh at me desperately trying to get up the ladder, tell ’em to watch Minotaur. That’s a pile of sh*t.’
Similarly strident opinions were in evidence when it came to analysis of the next motion picture in which Tom had a role – particularly if you chose to canvas opinion from the French. Marie Antoinette was the third directorial offering from Sofia Coppola, daughter of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now director, Francis Ford Coppola. Prior to making Marie Antoinette, she had scored a commercial and critical hit with Lost in Translation, the film that made a star of Scarlett Johansson. Marie Antoinette saw the director reunited with Kirsten Dunst, an actress with whom she worked on The Virgin Suicides and who has sometimes been cited as her muse. Following The Virgin Suicides, the pair had expressed a desire to collaborate again and Marie Antoinette presented them with the perfect vehicle to do so.
The film was based on the book Marie Antoinette – The Journey by Lady Antonia Fraser. Marie Antoinette is often portrayed by historians as a shallow and frivolous woman – and by some, even as being the cause of the French Revolution. The book and therefore the film on which it was based are rather less critical of her and present her instead as a young woman struggling to come to terms with being uprooted from Austria and used to make a political alliance between Austria and France through her marriage to the Dauphin. Forced to deal with the protocol of life at Versailles and a husband who has little interest in her sexually, she seeks solace in expensive clothes, fine food and frivolity.
Probably largely thanks to her success with Lost in Tra
nslation, Coppola secured backing for her £21 million venture from Colombia Pictures. The film was clearly made to reach out to a young female audience and, as such, was laced with modern twists – there was, for example, a distinctive and incongruous soundtrack with music from the likes of The Strokes and Siouxsie and the Banshees and a lot of screen time was devoted to showing off sumptuous dresses and fabulous shoes.
Tom’s role in the film was a small one and he only appears in a couple of scenes. He plays a character called Raumont who first makes an appearance on screen during the period of time when Marie Antoinette is occupying Le Petit Trianon, her nature retreat within the grounds of Versailles. He is one of her circle of friends at court whose main occupations seem to be gambling, dining and partying. There is a suggestion, too, that he is a little jealous of the queen’s obvious attraction to Count Axel Fersen.
The film premiered at Cannes in May 2006 and, perhaps expectedly, got a poor response from French filmgoers who angrily hailed it as revisionist fantasy. Not everyone agreed, though, particularly on this side of the Channel. Many critics felt that it was technically a good film but that it lacked credibility as a historical piece. Writing in the Observer, Jason Solomons defended the film, saying: ‘This is a funny, beautiful and, yes, cool film, blending fashion and pop with subtle comments on celebrity, emptiness and excess.’ He did, however, go on to say that ‘Coppola’s poor little rich girl schtick can be annoying’.
From the lush grounds of Versailles in the 18th century to the urban stickiness of a summer’s day on Hampstead Heath – and a very different kind of character for Tom to get his teeth into. Looking over Tom Hardy’s cannon of work, it’s a rare occurrence to see him turn in a comic performance – which is a shame because, when watching him in interviews and reading his comments in the press, it is clear that he is witty and has a keen sense of humour. In Scenes of a Sexual Nature, Tom showed he was every bit as capable of delivering comedy as he was intense, serious drama.
Tom Hardy Page 8