Over the past decade, Tom Hardy has gone from a movie actor to a movie star, with roles in movies like Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Dunkirk and more making him a household name. Now, Tom Hardy has turned 40 and he's done most of what he came to Hollywood to do and more. Thus, the actor says he's getting tired of acting, and he's not sure what comes next.
You've summited Everest. It's a miracle that you've made it anywhere near the fucking mountain, let alone climbed it. Do you want to go all the way back and do it again? Or do you want to get off the mountain and go fucking find a beach?
In a wide-ranging profile appearing in the September issue of Esquire, Tom Hardy talks about all he has accomplished as an actor over the past couple of decades. He's hit a lot of milestones, winning awards and landing roles in some major movies, both of the popular and indie variety. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in The Revenant, although he didn't win that one, and even lost a tattoo bet with Leonardo DiCaprio over the nom. Now, he seems to be implying that he's ready to quit climbing and take a bit of a break.
In fact, what comes next may not be acting, at all. When asked about his craft, he also told the magazine:
What is it that draws you to the craft? At this age, I don't know anymore. I've kind of had enough. If I'm being brutally honest, I want to go on with my life.
Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that Tom Hardy isn't declaring his retirement at this point, a la Robert Redford. Nor is he comfortably stepping back and avoiding signing on for new roles, like Cameron Diaz has done of late. In fact, the actor is set to headline Venom, Sony's Spider-man franchise spinoff, when it hits theaters later this year. He's also been getting plenty of press for playing Al Capone in the upcoming movie Fonzo. Another movie, War Party, was announced back in 2017. Whether the actor takes a break from films after all of that remains to be seen, but we'll keep you updated every step of the way.
Actors suffer burnout just like people in other careers and will occasionally take a step back from their craft. (Plenty do eventually retire, as well.) Right now, Tom Hardy is at the top of his game, and I hope he doesn't bow out of the game completely, even if he does slow down. For now, be sure to catch Tom Hardy in the Venom trailer, or just see the movie when it officially hits theaters on October 5. To take a look at everything else hitting theaters this year, be sure to take a look at our full movie schedule.
