The Big Break That Put MobLand Star Tom Hardy On The Map

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Welcome to The Big Break, a column where The List staff looks back at how this week's headline-grabbing star made their claim to fame.

Tom Hardy has racked up quite the resume. His first (uncredited) film role was as a soldier in "The Trench" (1999), and he became known for roles like Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises" and Venom in the Sony Spider-Man Universe movies. Although he was involved with some high-profile projects at the beginning of his career, like HBO's "Band of Brothers," in which he appeared in two episodes in 2001, it took a while for him to achieve stardom. 

Despite a prominent role as Shinzon in 2002's "Star Trek: Nemesis," Patrick Stewart thought Hardy would be a failure. "As it closed, I said quietly to Brent [Spiner] and Jonathan [Frakes], 'And there goes someone I think we shall never hear of again,'" Stewart recalled in his memoir "Making It So" (via Business Insider). "It gives me nothing but pleasure that Tom has proven me so wrong."

In 2008, Hardy got his big break as the title character in "Bronson." Based on a true story, the film has no connection to American actor Charles Bronson. Instead, it's about Michael Peterson, who changed his name to Charles Bronson and is an infamous criminal in the U.K. Since 1974, he's been incarcerated in different institutions for various crimes, and is known for his violent behavior in prison. Hardy not only bulked up and dramatically transformed his body, but his no-holds-barred performance garnered praise. "Hardy does an admirable job of making this monster human, which he achieves with surprising wit and a visceral, attention-grabbing passion," Damon Wise wrote in Radio Times in 2015 (via Rotten Tomatoes). Although Peterson/Bronson was initially skeptical of the casting, the film's director, Nicolas Winding Refn, said in an interview for Sight & Sound, "I looked at every young actor in England, but it became apparent that Tom was the best choice" (via Offscreen).

After his role in "Bronson," everyone else was aware of Tom Hardy's talents, too. Part of his success with the film is that it appeared to be labor of love. Hardy would reprise the character offscreen as an icebreaker, like when he met his wife, Charlotte Riley. He continued approaching roles with similar dedication. Hardy's prep for the 2011 film "Warrior" even resulted in some broken bones. However, as "Bronson" was getting accolades, Hardy didn't seem to be in a hurry for stardom, knowing it would affect his ability to be an acting chameleon. "It would be great to get as many films under my belt before people link up who I am," Hardy explained to Interview Magazine in 2009. "Because once you break it's over." 

The actor was working on "Inception" with Leonardo DiCaprio at the time. Years later, Hardy was skeptical about getting an Oscar nomination for another movie they starred in together, "The Revenant." They made a bet, and Hardy has a DiCaprio-designed tattoo as a permanent reminder of his co-star's confidence in him.

While his performance skills are solid, Hardy's behind-the-scenes behavior sometimes is bogged down by rumors. In May 2026, stories of difficulties on the set of the TV series "MobLand" led to conjecture that Hardy wouldn't be in future seasons, which insiders have denied, per Variety. Some of these issues could be related to Hardy's on-set approach, since the actor has long-preferred to be outspoken about the creative process, even if it involves some conflict between him and other creatives on set. (This happened while filming "Bronson," though Hardy told Interview he'd collaborate with Nicolas Winding Refn again.) Unfortunately, since "MobLand" is a show and not a movie, it's reportedly challenging for Hardy to work the way he wants to.