Centurion - Tom Hardy is a great actor who plays the tough-guy role perfectly. It turns out though, it’s not all acting.
The “Peaky Blinders” and “Dark Knight Rises” star competed at the 2022 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship in Milton Keynes over the weekend and won the title just for good measure.
The 45-year-old, who is one of the best actors around at the moment, known for his roles in “Inception”, “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “The Revenant”, was the star entry in the jiu-jitsu championship north of London on Saturday.
Hardy made it all the way to the final, beating veteran fighter Danny Appleby for the gold medal.
Tom Hardy played an MMA fighter in ‘Warrior’ — now he's played one in real life, too.
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 22, 2022
The 45-year-old actor entered a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition in Milton Keynes, England, under his birth name, Edward Hardy. Hardy went on to win all of his matches. pic.twitter.com/cBnlt6xt2U
Though clearly an accomplished fighter in real life, Hardy has said before that he will do his best to avoid physical confrontation. Much like Peter Parker was told in “Spider-Man” – with great power comes great responsibility.
Hardy said: “I don’t fight, really. I try not to fight, actually. I try not to react. I’m a Buddha floating on a lily pad.”
It’s no surprise, really, to see Hardy don the blue gi and impress on a different stage.
His film roles have been as varied and complex as any of the great actors of today and previous generations. From the biography “Legend”, where Hardy played two roles as gangster twin brothers, to Marvel’s title character Venom – an alien entity which bonds to his character – the actor never backs down from a challenge.
“I’m not interested in walks in the parks. Anything difficult that people think I couldn’t play, I’m straight at it. If they say ‘Tom, don’t put your hand in the fire’, you know I’ll be coming out of casualty an hour later with third-degree burns and bandages up my arms.”