Gotham’s most fearsome villain, Bane, was built to break Batman. But before Tom Hardy could body-slam the Caped Crusader on-screen, he suffered a humbling defeat in a trailer, scared speechless by Christian Bale.
Tom Hardy once admitted that he was genuinely terrified when he first encountered Christian Bale suited up as Batman for ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’
Tom Hardy’s Confidence Crumbled Before Facing Christian Bale’s Batman
Hardy, known for playing imposing figures from Bane to Mad Max, walked onto the set of the 2012 blockbuster feeling confident. He had been training rigorously to fill out the massive frame required for Bane. When he spotted Bale sitting in a trailer without a shirt on, Hardy sized up his co-star and thought he had the upper hand physically.
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“When I first met him at the screen test, I put my outfit on, and I got to the trailer and saw him sitting there without a T-shirt on, and saw what his arms were like, and I thought, ‘I am going to walk this,’” Hardy recalled during an interview.
The Terrifying “I Am Batman” Moment That Shocked Tom Hardy
However, that feeling went away the second Bale put on the cowl. Hardy had expected the classic Batman look, but instead, he saw what he called a “10ft tall” monster.
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“I was expecting the old Batman in grey pants,” Hardy said. “Then this huge looming figure turned up at 10ft tall with huge pointy ears, and he looked at me and said, ‘Hi. I am Batman.’ And that scared me.”
Hardy said the whole thing made him feel like a little kid. Even though he was playing the villain, he could not get past the hero standing in front of him.
“There was a 3-year-old inside me thinking, ‘That’s Batman!’” Hardy said. He also warned people not to mess with Bale, adding, “Christian Bale is really tough—not the kind of guy you want to p*** off.”
Tom Hardy and Christian Bale Developed a Silent Language for Their Fight Scene
The fear soon turned into respect. Hardy said Bale was a big reason he signed on to the Christopher Nolan movie in the first place. “He was a massive draw to work with,” Hardy said.
The two actors had to figure out a way to work together because they could not hear each other in their costumes. They made up a silent language for their big fight scene. Bale later explained, “I would say my line and I would go [gestures] with my finger and he’d know I’m done, your turn.”
Bale also praised Hardy, calling him “the real deal” and saying Hardy brought a “gleeful” energy to the set. Even though Hardy got scared of the Batman suit, he walked away with real respect for the man inside it.
That said, he did not always get Bale’s behavior. When Bale once said he wanted to “p**s on the shoes” of a critic who made fun of his weight loss acting, Hardy just sounded confused. “Why would he want to piss on anyone’s shoes?” Hardy asked.
‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ remains a landmark in superhero cinema, largely due to the electric tension between Bale’s brooding Batman and Hardy’s ferocious Bane. And thanks to Hardy’s candid storytelling, we now know that the clash began long before the cameras rolled, with one simple, spine-chilling declaration, “Hi. I am Batman.”
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