Austin Butler says Tom Hardy is “the most intense guy” he’s “ever seen” when filming
Austin Butler has described Tom Hardy as “the most intense guy” he’s ever seen when performing on camera.
The two actors star together in director Jeff Nichols’ upcoming drama The Bikeriders, which follows the rise and fall of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club.
Speaking to actor Josh Brolin for Interview magazine, Butler explained how Hardy had “surprised” him by managing to switch off his intensity between takes.
“There’s an intimate sensitivity to The Bikeriders,” Butler said in comparison to the “spectacle” of Elvis and Dune: Part Two. “It’s the roaring engines and the smell of grease that we got to be around. It was nice to go to something that felt more independent and play in that space for a bit.
“But one of the things I was thinking about earlier, when you were talking about that relaxation on set, was that Tom Hardy surprised me. I pictured him to be this grizzly bear, always serious. And really, he’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.
“He’d be joking around until action is called, and then go into being the most intense guy I’d ever seen.”
He added: “It reminds me of the stories I heard of [Marlon] Brando, talking to the camera operator until the moment action is called.”
Butler later said he “learned a lot” from Hardy, comparing him to Brolin. “It reminds me of you, where you can in that relaxed place where you’re receptive to your environment, and then when the time comes, you can click into what the scene demands.”
Alongside Butler and Hardy, The Bikeriders stars Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist and Norman Reedus. The film is inspired by the 1967 photobook by Danny Lyon.
The Bikeriders was originally scheduled to be released in December, but has since been pushed back to an unspecified date due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
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Adam Starkey
NME
