Tom Hardy Says Questions About His Sexuality Are ‘Awkward’ and ‘Humiliating’
Actors know that one of the less glamorous parts of the job is facing invasive probing from the media. Plenty of celebrity interviews have made headlines for inappropriate questions. For Tom Hardy, one disturbing line of questioning happened during the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The Venom star has opened up about how the attempts to pry into his personal life and sexuality are “humiliating.”
Tom Hardy had a breakthrough role in ‘Inception’
Hardy got his start in the early 2000s and found moderate success through performances in many dramatic films and TV movies. They included 2002’s The Reckoning (starring William Dafoe), 2004’s Layer Cake (starring Daniel Craig), and 2006’s Marie Antoinette (starring Kirsten Dunst), according to IMDb.
Not until his performance in Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film Inception did Hardy gain widespread acclaim and attention in America. His appearance in Nolan’s mind-twisting blockbuster granted the actor access to a different level of stardom, and the attention he received shifted in quantity and scrutiny.
As Hardy gave more interviews, a narrative about his personality and professional story began to form. Regarding his pursuit of acting, Hardy explained he had “always been a liar, always been able to manipulate” and that acting felt like a good fit for those traits.
Ultimately, acting gave him self-confidence. He had no problem discussing these professional aspects, but when the questions turned personal, Hardy expressed his disapproval.
Tom Hardy calls questions about his sexuality ‘humiliating’
Thanks to Hardy’s openness about his struggles, it’s no secret that sometimes-wild behavior marked his early years. The actor has discussed his heavy drug use and partying throughout his 20s. However, in 2009, he met his future wife on the Wuthering Heights set. Hardy and Charlotte Riley tied the knot in 2014, and his bad-boy past seemed behind him as they settled down.
Among those dalliances in his earlier days, Hardy had various sexual encounters. He opened up in 2010 about his sexual fluidity by answering a question about whether he had slept with men: “Of course I have. I’m an actor, for f***’s sake.”
The irritation over being asked such personal questions was clear even then, but by 2015, Hardy was fed up with the inquiries. According to Time, the actor shut down a question about his sexuality during a news conference at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“Is it hard for celebrities to talk to the media about their sexuality?” a reporter for the LGBTQ outlet Daily Xtra said.
After Hardy confirmed the journalist was asking about the actor’s sexuality, he abruptly ended the questioning with “thank you.”
“It was just the inelegance of being asked in a roomful of people,” Hardy told Entertainment Weekly a few days later. “Now I’m happy to have a conversation, a discussion, at a reasonable time about anything. I’m confident in my own sexuality, and I’m also confident in my own being and talking about any issue you want to talk about it. But there is a time and a place for that.”
Hardy also called the incident “humiliating” and “awkward” because it had nothing to do with his appearance at the festival.
What has the ‘Venom’ star done lately?
Hardy has remained busy since his tense exchange with the reporter. A starring role in The Revenant (2015) and another Nolan project, 2017’s Dunkirk, have further boosted the actor’s filmography. In addition, Hardy has had a recurring role in Netflix’s Peaky Blinders. Perhaps most notable, he has starred as the title character in two Venom films.
When Hardy’s Venom showed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans began buzzing about the potential of the character’s crossover into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
