British actor Tom Hardy, who recently portrayed the brutishly demented Heathcliff in the BBC/PBS production of Wuthering Heights, has aspirations of classic romantic icon grandeur. Despite his best known performances as bad boy thugs, gangsters and bullies he would actually prefer to play classic archetypes such as The Oresteia, Romulus and Remus, Iago and Othello, Tamburlaine the Great – and Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy. Yes, Mr. Darcy! In a recent interview for the Telegram.co.uk, he revealed his first failed attempt to convince movie producers that he had the Darcy noble mien.
In fact, Hardy says he very nearly won the part of Darcy in Joe Wright’s 2005 film of Pride and Prejudice, where Matthew MacFadyen in the end played opposite Keira Knightley. And he was gutted when the very powerful Stacey Snider, ex-head of Universal Pictures, now CEO of Steven Spielberg’s company Dreamworks, told him: “Babe, every woman in the world has an impression of who Darcy is and you’re just not it.”“That hurt, that really hurt,” Hardy recalls now. “I’d worn a blue shirt and jeans and a blue blazer and been doing my best Hugh Grant impression. But now I was back to playing the wonky skewiff-teeth kid with the bow legs.”
Even though the “blue coat” worked for Mr. Bingley as an enticement to the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice, don’t you know that you just can’t make a silk purse out of sow’s ear Mr. Hardy? We admire you in those nasty boy roles. Stick to what you do best and leave by your dreams of Darcy!
Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose
16 comments:
I know that Heathcliff is nothing like Darcy, but I think that Tom Hardy did a brilliant job. He was really surprising. I think that if he was cast as Mr. Darcy he would be just as surprising and do a brilliant job. He was also charming (though he had a very small part) in Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette." If he has dreams of playing those kinds of characters I think that he should be given the chance. I think great actors can play all sorts of different parts, so I hope that one day I will be able to see Tom Hardy as Mr. Darcy.
Sometimes casting agents for productions can be so wrong ! Bad form indeed !
Tom Hardy is a very talented actor and capable of playing Mr. Darcy very nicely...maybe a very interesting way to play him would be in the Vampire version of P & P ? I thought type casting went out with the old studio system !
I, too, LOVED Hard as Heathcliff. So much so I had to blog about him. I think he would have been a PERFECT Mr. Darcy. Don't get me wrong, I loved Macfayden in Little Dorrit, but I think he was far too wussy as Mr. Darcy.
Oh, to think of Hardy in that role gives me chills. Um...is it too soon for someone to film another version? ;)
I think he could have done better than Macfeyden too, who was just too gloomy and mopey. The role of Mr. Darcy requires acting, not just brooding around. However, I don't think thats what the director was looking for. The 2005 was seems to have been made to appeal to a different audience.
Colin Firth is still the one for me! But this Hardy looks handsomer than MM (ducking tomatoes now)
Steamy Darcy
Hardy is HOT and I would love to be able to root for him to get the girl. Sorry Stacey Whoeveryouare, this chick isn't "every woman" and as much as I love MM in many of his other roles, he didn't do it for me as Darcy.
I haven't seen Mr. Hardy in action, and I am sure he's talented, but for me, he's no Matthew Macfadyen!!!!
Awww! Poor Mr. Hardy :( He was awesome in Wuthering Heights---my ideal Heathcliff for sure.
I like Lynn's idea very much! If he can't be Mr. Darcy in a drama, maybe they'll give him a shot as Mr. Darcy in a horror film. That's more his genre anyway.
Lynn - I would love to see Tom Hardy as Mr. Darcy the vampire. He would be perfect in a more affected capacity. He is very talented and quite the heartthrob. Just not my idea of the refined gentleman that Darcy is to me. Now, vampire Darcy is another story altogether!
ha! i thought i'd have to defend tom hardy's skill and here i see i am not the only one who would have preferred him to matthew mcfayden. it's nice to know i'm not alone in the world.
Tom Hardy is a terrific actor. Although he plays the bad guy well, I would hate to see him typecast as one. I would enjoy seeing him play a more endearing character.
Wow, what harsh words to poor Tom! Although I admit I can see how many women would not instantly see Mr. Hardy as a first choice for Mr. Darcy, his indisputable talent - as demonstrated in his truly superb performance in 'Wuthering Heights' - could serve him well in any role. I think he would have brought something unique and surprising to Darcy. (Like some others I was not impressed by MM's turn, though I have enjoyed him in other roles.) I too hope that Tom's chance will come some day. Meanwhile I've got my enduring awe at his Heathcliff to tide me over...
Mcfaydn won my heart in The Way We Live Now, in spite of his low-life and rougish persona. I was thrilled to see him in P&P and honestly felt Knightly didn't deserve him.He could have been better matched...
Stacey whoever he is from Universal Pictures drew me out of lurking... Yes I have an image of Mr. Darcy in my mind and it's certainly not Matthew Macfadyen, or at least not the way he played him in the movie (which was as a totally different character!) I bet Tom Hardy would have done a better job but then again, it was such a dreadful movie all around he's better off to have lost the part.
Tom Hardy would be great as Darcy or any other romantic part. The first time I saw him was in "The Virgin Queen" and he played Robert Dudley, which was a romantic part. I hope he doesn't get stereotyped into palying "bad boys", but he was wonderful as Heathcliff...very sexy and dangerous.
Tom Hardy is so talented; he would have been a brilliant Mr Darcy!! Ugh...Stacey whoever-you-are, you are so freakin' wrong!
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