Tom Hardy has cleared up the rumour that he auditioned for Pride & Prejudice.
The Dark Knight Rises and Venom trilogy actor has long been rumoured to have been one of the favourites to play Mr Darcy in the 2005 film version of Jane Austen’s literary classic, opposite Keira Knightley.
While on the promotional trial for new Netflix film Havoc, Hardy sat down with VT, the charity Thin Blue Paw, and some absolutely adorable retired police dogs and cleared up the showbiz myth once and for all.
“I didn’t actually get an audition,” he revealed. “I was told categorically – by a lovely producer – that all women have an image or vision of what Mr Darcy looks like and I’m afraid, Tom, you just aren’t it.”
“That’s showbiz,” he added with a devilish laugh.
Netflix
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The role in that version obviously went to Matthew Macfadyen, who actually admitted last year that he himself “felt a bit miscast” as Mr Darcy.
“I feel bad saying that,” he said. “There were moments I had a good time, but I wish I enjoyed it more. I wish I was less worried about it.
“I felt a bit miscast, like, ‘I’m not dishy enough’. But it worked out.”
StudioCanal
Related: Why Tom Hardy’s Netflix thriller Havoc is set in the US despite being filmed in Wales
Back in the present day, Hardy’s new film Havoc has just dropped on Netflix (ending spoilers here) and we really liked it.
“Full of visual flair, brutal choreography and a healthy splash of blood, it’s an action tour de force that you’ll want to have watched on the big screen,” Digital Spy‘s review reads. “It loses none of its brilliance on the small screen though.”
Havoc is available now on Netflix, as is the 2005 Pride & Prejudice.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small.
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