Tom Hardy says his body is ‘not going to get better’ after revealing painful film injuries

Tom Hardy has opened up about the damage his body sustained due to the actor performing his own stunts in several films.

Hardy, 45, said he has incurred injuries that won’t heal due to physical roles in films including MMA film Warrior, The Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Road and the Venom trilogy.

The actor, who currently stars in Netflix thriller Havoc and gangster show MobLand, revealed the extent of these injuries in a new interview, stating: “I’ve had two knee surgeries now. My disc’s herniated in my back. I’ve got sciatica as well.”

He told Esquire that he also pulled a tendon in his hip and has plantar fasciitis. “Where did that come from – and why?” he asked.

Plantar fasciitis is heel pain caused by inflammation of a thick band of tissue that runs along the bottom of the foot.

The Oscar-nominated star of The Revenant said his body is “all falling to bits now”, adding: “It’s not going to get better.”

Hardy, who is also a jiu-jitsu enthusiast, trained extensively for the role of mixed martial arts fighter Tommy Conlon in the 2011 film Warrior.

Ahead of filming, the actor “took a real smashing”, breaking his ribs and foot and tearing ligaments in his right hand.

He also performed numerous fight scenes in the concluding chapter of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – in which he played the villainous Bane – Legend (2015), in which he played the Kray twins, and 2023 drama The Bikeriders.

He also played the titular character in George Miller’s Oscar-winning Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), during which he clashed with his co-star Charlize Theron.

Theron, who played Imperator Furiosa in George Miller’s 2015 sequel, opened up about her struggles working with the actor in the book Blood, Sweat, and Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road.

The actor recalled a heated encounter between the pair after Hardy showed up to set three hours late. Hardy, who played the lead role, acknowledged the incident, which Theron said left her feeling unsafe.

“In hindsight, I was in over my head in many ways,” Hardy said. “The pressure on both of us was overwhelming at times.”

He added: “What she needed was a better, perhaps more experienced partner in me. I’d like to think that now that I’m older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion.”

According to the film’s camera operator Mark Goellnicht, Hardy displayed “aggressive” behaviour after Theron repeatedly swore at him in a “full rant”.

He says that Theron shouted: “Fine the f***ing c*** a hundred thousand dollars for every minute that he’s held up this crew.”

“He might’ve heard some of it, but he charged up to her and went, ‘What did you say to me?’” Goellnicht said. “He was quite aggressive. She really felt threatened, and that was the turning point.”

Reflecting on the incident, Theron said: “It got to a place where it was kind of out of hand. I didn’t feel safe.”

Theron requested a female producer named Denise Di Novi be sent to the film’s set in Namibia. She told Buchanan: “I don’t want to rehash things, but it came out of a really bad moment where things kind of came to blows between me and Tom.”