Tom Hardy ‘MobLand’ On-Set Behavior Was “Career Suicide,” Source Says

I’m sure you’ve heard about Tom Hardy’s firing from the hit Paramount+ series “MobLand.” More details have come out, and they actually align with some of Hardy’s past behaviors.

Sources speaking to THR allege that, behind the scenes, Hardy had become increasingly disruptive on-set during season two, claiming, “He refused to come out of his trailer for hours at a time,” and suggesting that his absences left cast members waiting for extended periods on set.

Hardy allegedly created tension behind the scenes by not only arriving late to set, but also frequently offering unsolicited script notes, and pushing to alter dialogue during filming. Puck’s sources had previously claimed he became frustrated that a show originally centered heavily around his character was evolving into more of an ensemble series featuring Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan.

The same THR source escalated the criticism further, calling the delays a deliberate power play and warning, “He kept the cast waiting, [which is] a power play. Keeping Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and others waiting is career suicide, I would wager.” Maybe so.

This situation does echo long-circulating accounts of Hardy’s difficult reputation on set, especially his holing up in trailers, including remarks from filmmaker George Miller, who worked with the actor on “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Miller said of Hardy and Charlize Theron’s tensions, “[They’re] two very different performers,” adding, “Tom has a damage to him but also a brilliance that comes with it, and whatever was going on with him at the time, he had to be coaxed out of his trailer.”

That pattern has also been referenced by actors who have worked with him in the past. Patrick Stewart wrote in his memoir Making It, that Hardy’s withdrawn behavior during “Star Trek: Nemesis,” resulted in “Tom not engaging with any of us on a social level,” and noting that he “spent the hours he wasn’t needed on set in his trailer with his girlfriend.”

What’s next for Hardy? He’s supposed to star in director Sean Penn’s next film, which is expected to shoot this summer, though concrete details about the project have yet to emerge.