Tom Hardy has starred in many famous movies, from Inception and Mad Max: Fury Road to Venom and Dunkirk. However, one role that is often regarded as one of his best performances is lesser known.
In 2008, Hardy starred in the biographical prison drama Bronson, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, who would later helm Ryan Gosling in Drive.
The movie gives a loose insight into the fascinating life of prisoner Michael Peterson, who adopted the boxing persona of Charles Bronson, after the American actor of the same name.
The notorious criminal, known as Britain’s most violent prisoner, was initially sentenced to seven years in jail for armed robbery in 1974 aged just 22.
However, due to his tendencies to take hostages and continued violence towards the guards, he’s spent most of his life in prison, often in solitary confinement.
Having spent most of the last 50 years behind bars, he continues to serve a life sentence to this day despite never having committed murder. More recently, he changed his name again to Charles Salvador in tribute to the artist Salvador Dalí and had his parole rejected once more in 2023.
Hardy found the part to be incredibly physically demanding. With only five weeks to prepare for the role, the actor reportedly gained 40 lbs to match Bronson’s physique. At the time, the prisoner said he did 2500 push-ups a day. Contrary to popular belief, Hardy has clarified that he did not do this many himself.
The movie received many nominations during awards season, including at the Sundance Film Festival. Bronson won Best Film at the Sydney Film Festival, while Hardy’s depiction of the notorious criminal won him Best Actor at the 2009 British Independent Film Awards.
Bronson himself was impressed by Hardy’s portrayal, telling The Times, “I honestly believe nobody on the planet could play me as Tom did. He is more like me than I am.”
Meanwhile, the late critic Roger Ebert said that the movie ‘takes on a fearsome purity, refusing to find reasons.’
Bronson is now streaming on Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.