Celebrity love stories often seem like a maze of rumors, make ups and break ups. Tom Hardy’s romantic world, however, might be more reminiscent of a fairy tale. The breakout actor from Inception recently tied the knot with his long-time fiancée Charlotte Riley, and fans are obsessed with the couple’s sweet sense of mature caring. As the actor told Elle Magazine, the dynamic duo have fostered “grown up love” that prioritizes commitment over everything. But before Hardy’s new era of adult romance, his life was in pieces.

The actor has spoken out on numerous occasions about his battle with substance abuse and its disastrous affect on his two previous partnerships— the first a short-lived marriage, followed by a relationship that produced a son called Louis Thomas. But did the actor’s troubles also ruin his ties to Louis?

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Growing Into Fatherhood

Luckily for the father/son pair, the actor got a handle on his addictions before it was too late. According to Hardy, Louis was one of the biggest reasons that he decided to ditch the party life and get sober. The proud papa opened up about his substance abuse battle in an interview published in The Resident, crediting his son for his ‘reality check.’

“I was self-indulgent for a long time,” he reportedly admitted, “and I was only thinking about myself and my own stupid stuff. Having a child lifts you out of selfish behavior and gives you responsibility. It forces you to be a better man and to live a healthy life.”

Now, Hardy is so invested in his parenting role that he is willing to turn down career opportunities to keep Louis close. When asked if he would ever leave London to chase after Hollywood dreams, the actor responded with a firm: “no.” Louis’ mother is based in the city, and the protective father could not imagine staying away from his little one.

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The Father Role

Hardy has intentionally done his best to keep his kids’ names out of the press. In fact, the actor tries so hard to shield his family from prying eyes that the gender of his most recent child has still not been publicly released. Nonetheless, Hardy has dropped a few hints about Louis and his interests— primarily, the boy's passion for comic book superheroes.

The actor even admitted at the 2018 Comic Con that he has specifically pursued roles in Marvel films in order to make a movie that Louis would like, according to Fabiosa. He reportedly stated, “My son is a massive Venom fan, and he was a strong influence on my why I should play Venom specifically. I wanted to do something my son could watch.” How adorable!

Cast as the fascinated Eddie Brock, Hardy got to fulfill every father’s dream: be his son’s very own superhero.

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