Tom Hardy reveals why he didn't feel good as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises

Tom Hardy may be one of the most popular actors currently working in Hollywood but it turns out that he was less than happy with one of his roles, admitting that he didn’t feel good while getting in character. 

Hardy, 45, has an impressive resume, with roles in Mad Max: Fury Road, Bronson, Peaky Blinders and The Revenant.

And Hardy isn’t afraid to put in the hard work at the gym to transform himself for a role - he notably gained weight for Warrior before packing on even more muscle to play Bane in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. 

Warner Bros

According to reports, Hardy added an additional 30lbs (13.6kg) to his frame to play Bane and he didn’t particularly enjoy it. 

In a resurfaced interview, Hardy admits that it didn’t feel great to put on so much weight but said that feeling was ‘not the point’. 

He said: “If we look closely, if we really study the photographs, I was really overweight. I ate a lot, and you know, I was not much heavier than I am now but I just ate a lot more pizza. 

“It took three or four months of training and lifting and eating lots of pizza. And, it wasn’t great for my heart.” 

When asked if he felt good, he replied: “Not really, no. But that’s not the point - the point was to look as big as possible.” 

Hardy has previously revealed that he was upset with the reaction from some fans who expected him to be super-human sized for the role. 

In an interview with CineMovie, the actor said: "I'm at 190. [lbs] Bat-fans want me to be over 220lbs. 400lbs. I'm like dude!

Hyperstar / Alamy Stock Photo

"Batman is like Superman, Spider-Man - he belongs to so many people. So many people love him. He belongs to them, and when you step into that kind of character, you are going to fail. And be judged.

"I'm human, and I do read things. I read the comments, and I cry. I can't cry for everybody. I just give them a job, and be the best that I can be. Just trust me. I trust Nolan."

He’s previously said that as he’s aged, he is more mindful of undergoing such drastic transformations to play a part. 

“I think you pay the price with any drastic physical changes,” he told the Daily Beast in 2017. “It was alright when I was younger, to put myself under that kind of duress, but I think as you get into your 40s you have to be more mindful of the rapid training, packing on a lot of weight and getting physical, and then not having enough time to keep training because you’re busy filming, so your body is swimming in two different directions at the same time."

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