Tom Hardy has had a long and successful career in Hollywood, taking on various roles, from a comic book villain in The Dark Knight Rises to a grizzled post-apocalyptic wanderer in Mad Max: Fury Road. He has also captivated audiences with his performances in television shows like Peaky Blinders (2014–2022) and Taboo (2017). However, there is one role he missed out on that still weighs on him, and it may have diminished his interest in pursuing more romantic roles in the future.
Tom Hardy was heartbroken after he was rejected for Pride & Prejudice
Tom Hardy once set his sights on the iconic role of Mr. Darcy in the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which started Keira Knightley and was directed by the talented Joe Wright.
Despite his meticulous preparation and passionate audition, the coveted role ultimately slipped away, landing instead in hands of Matthew Macfadyen. In a decisive moment, Hollywood producer Stacey Snider pulled Hardy aside and candidly told him that he wasn’t quite what they envisioned for Darcy. She said:
“Honey, women over the world have a picture of what Darcy is and I’m afraid you’re just not it.”
While actors often deal with rejection, this time was particularly painful for the 46-year-old Englishman. He felt hurt because he had put so much of himself into the audition. He told The Telegraph, “That hurt, that really hurt,” adding:
“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.”
In an interview LA Times, Hardy added that this experience motivated him to stay away from romantic comedies.
“I was like, ‘Fair enough.’ I’m obviously not a romantic lead, so I’m not going to focus a lot of my attention on being something that I’m not. I like to play people who’ve got a bit of range on them: a little bit of dark and a little bit of light.”
Tom Hardy avoids romantic comedies
.jpeg "Tom Hardy and Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon in This Means War")
In 2012, Hardy took another crack at the romance genre This Means War. The film, starred Hardy as a CIA agent who fought Chris Pine over Witherspoon’s affection. At that time, the actor admitted that he played the role because he had not tried it before.
"I love to do things I hadn't done before," according to a report by USA Today.
While he didn’t enjoy the experience, it helped him realize that rom-coms may not be the right fit for him.
In an interview with USA Today,Hardy suggests he was so scarred by the film’s production that he’ll never make another romantic comedy:
“I didn’t understand how you could do something which is so much fun and be so miserable doing it,” he says, blaming himself for feeling “other” on set. So consider that box checked. “I probably won’t do a romantic comedy again, do you know what I mean?”