Tom Hardy has made a name for himself in the action genre. He’s undergone dramatic physical transformations and pulled off daring stunts, all in the name of movie-making.

We’ve seen his characters perform thrilling driving sequences in Mad Max: Fury Road, punch-ups in Warrior and intense battling in Venom. While his longtime stunt double Jacob Tomuri takes on the riskiest stunts, Tom does what he can.

But behind-the-scenes of his success, Tom – now 48 – has been battling in private. As he gets older, the actor revealed the work of bringing some of our favourite action movies to life doesn’t happen without taking a physical toll. “I’ve had two knee surgeries now, my disc’s herniated in my back, I’ve got sciatica as well,” he revealed his on-set struggle to Esquire in May.

Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road© Roadshow/Kobal/Shutterstock
Tom Hardy in Mad Max: Fury Road

“And I have that… is it plantar fasciitis? Where did that come from? And why? Why?!” He continued: “And I pulled my tendon in my hip as well. It’s like, it’s all falling to bits now, and it’s not going to get better.”

One of his longest roles was in the action/ sci-fi trilogy, Venom. “I loved playing Eddie in Venom,” he told the outlet. “Juggling chainsaws… Put me on a unicycle and throw everything at me! I was just really trying to push myself as much as I could.”

Physically demanding roles

Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises© Warner Bros. Pictures
Tom Hardy as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises

The actor has spoken in the past about undergoing physical transformations for movies. He had to bulk up for his role as Bane in the 2012 superhero film, The Dark Knight Rises. Before that, he had to gain 35 pounds in five weeks – on average seven pounds a week – for Bronson in 2008.

“I’ve probably damaged my body too much,” Tom told the Daily Beast in 2017. “I’m only little! If I keep putting on weight I’ll collapse like a house of cards under too much pressure.”

He continued: “I think you pay the price with any drastic physical changes. 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

Speaking to HELLO! In 2015, Tom opened up about how fatherhood had changed his perspective. The actor has a son, Louis, 17, from a previous relationship, and now shares two children with his wife, Charlotte Riley. He shared: “Being a father has given me the kind of purpose that makes you think more carefully about how you live your life. I take great pride in being a father and make sure I’m there for him and helping him as he makes his way in the world.”

What he’s working on now

Tom Hardy in Mobland on Paramount Plus© Paramount
Tom Hardy in Mobland on Paramount Plus

Tom has already had a busy 2025. His new action movie, Havoc, came out in April. Tom plays a troubled detective named Walker who must fight his way through a criminal underworld after a drug deal gone wrong. A month earlier, he starred in the new action-packed series, MobLand, alongside Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. In the series, Tom plays Harry Da Souza, the “street-smart” fixer. The show reunited Tom with director Guy Ritchie after working together on RocknRolla in 2008. The cast are reportedly currently filming the second season of MobLand.