Actors transforming for a role is nothing new in Hollywood, as it's become increasingly more common to see major names undergoing drastic changes. Some stars lose a ton of weight, others will pack on the pounds, and some will do to even crazier lengths to look the part.
Tom Hardy is a popular performer with a history of box office success these days. Back before he was a household name, he gained a ton of weight for a biographical film, putting on 7 lbs. a week in preparation for the role.
Let's take a look at how he was able to pull this off.
Tom Hardy Is A Star
In recent years, Tom Hardy has turned into one of the most popular and bankable stars in Hollywood. The 44-year-old actor has truly taken his star power to another level, and at this point, fans are always on the lookout for what he has on tap.
Early in his career, Tom Hardy made his film debut in Black Hawk Down, which was quite a success. From there, he was able to land roles in movies like Star Trek: Nemesis, Layer Cake, Marie Antoinette, Sucker Punch, and RocknRolla. These films showcased his abilities, and in due time, his importance in projects increased.
2010's Inception was the film that really set things in motion for the actor. This was followed by 2011's Warrior, and 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, which saw Hardy play Bane on the big screen.
In recent years, Hardy has been holding it down as Venom for Marvel, and he recently debuted in the MCU in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Earlier on, just before he became a global sensation, Hardy took on the role of an infamous criminal, changing his physical appearance in the process.
He Was Great In 'Bronson'
In 2008, Tom Hardy starred in the British biographical film Bronson, which focused on the infamous Charles Bronson and his life.
To date, this is by no means considered a blockbuster hit. The film had any small budget, and it only made $2.3 million at the box office. That being said, the film was able to earn some solid reviews, with many people taking note of Hardy's brilliant performance in the movie.
Chris Chang of Film Comment Magazine said that "the film can barely contain Tom Hardy's performance. It's a Method turn so bloodily immersive it's hard to imagine the actor getting his head straight afterwards."
Yes, Hardy was that good in the movie, and his performance is a primary reason why people still recommend Bronson to others.
Looking back on the film, one thing becomes clear: Tom Hardy was much bigger in this movie than he had been in previous films. The actor has since dished on how he put on a ton of weight, and his journey to beefing up was a relatively quick one.
He Put On A Ton Of Weight
According to Hardy, he was on "a race against the clock: We didn’t have any time to waste, so I started eating and my arse very quickly got very fat. For Bronson, I put on about 7lbs a week – with no steroids. In the end I’d put on about 2 and a half stone by eating chicken and rice, which was my staple diet throughout the day."
That's a ton of weight to put on in a short amount of time, but you had better believe that there was more than just chicken and rice involved in this diet.
"Then I’d have a pizza, Häagen-Dazs and Coca-Cola: So not good stuff, but I had to put weight on. I needed to put a layer of fat on my body, because Bronson when he was younger was a big guy, a brawler. My diet was lenient as we weren’t going for the Bruce Lee look and we weren’t looking for the cut," he continued.
Ah, there it is!
There have been plenty of other actors who have gone to extreme lengths to gain weight in the past. Christian Bale beefed up multiple times, as did Rob McElhenney, who gained 60 lbs for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
McElhenney also took to eating just about everything he could to cultivate mass for the show. Not healthy, but it worked when he did it.
Tom Hardy gained a ton of weight in a short amount of time, and while it was done with pizza and ice cream, he's since whipped himself back into shape.