It was starting to become a bit of a running joke that Tom Hardy keeps having his face covered up in films.

First there was his masked-up role as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, and most recently as fighter pilot Farrier in Dunkirk. Add in his muzzled appearance in Mad Max: Fury Road, and you start to see why the gag was going around.

maybe it was tina turner in a fright wig or perhaps no one wanted to tell mel gibson he was being replaced with a younger man but the 30 year wait for mad max fury road – given how utterly brilliant it turned out – was too long and yespinterest
Warner Bros.

So, given that Dark Knight Rises and Dunkirk are both Christopher Nolan films, the director was recently asked why so little of Hardy's visage makes it onto the big screen.

"I was pretty thrilled with what he did in The Dark Knight Rises with two eyes and couple of eyebrows and a bit of forehead so I thought let's see what he can do with no forehead, no real eyebrows, maybe one eye," he explained in reference to Dunkirk, perhaps with tongue set pretty firmly in cheek.

But whether or not he's being a little jovial over the whole matter, Nolan is full of praise for the incredible talents that Tom Hardy possesses – mask or no mask.

james delaney in 'taboo' s01e08pinterest
Scott Free London//BBC

"Of course Tom, being Tom, what he does with single-eye acting is far beyond what anyone else can do with their whole body – that is just the unique talent of the man. He's extraordinary."

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Now, if we can just get an explanation on why we can't help but find Tom Hardy reading bedtime stories so appealing, everything will be right in the world.


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