Tom Hardy, a ‘really nice guy,’ secretly wins martial-arts championship in U.K.

On display screen, actor Tom Hardy’s iconic characters have fought the likes of Batman, extraterrestrial monsters and post-apocalyptic warlords.

However over the weekend, in a feat the place life imitated artwork, Hardy entered a real-life struggle of his personal, quietly successful gold at a jiu-jitsu competitors within the U.Okay.

Hardy, 45, competed within the 2022 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship on Saturday, a match at Oakgrove Faculty in Milton Keyes, England, Individuals reported Tuesday. The “Mad Max: Fury Street” star got here out on high, defeating all his opponents for his weight, age and belt degree.

Pictures from the occasion present Hardy donning a blue gi, sporting a blue belt, the second grownup rank in jiu-jitsu, which regularly requires a whole lot of hours of coaching to attain. He could possibly be seen grappling with opponents on the mat, forcing some into submission alongside the way in which.

“The depth that he delivered to his film roles, he introduced that,” mentioned Andy Leatherland, 42, considered one of Hardy’s opponents, in an interview with the Day by day Mail. “He didn’t say a phrase, he didn’t say something.”

Off the mat, nonetheless, the “Venom” star was a “very nice man,” a spokesperson for the championships advised the Guardian, including that he took time to take images with individuals all through the match.

Hardy started to coach in combined martial arts in preparation for his 2011 movie, “Warrior,” the place he starred alongside Joel Edgerton as estranged brothers who be a part of a combating match collectively. Hardy’s coaching included Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a martial artwork and fight sport the place opponents try to submit one another via grappling.

Earlier this summer season, Hardy entered one other jiu-jitsu competitors, a charity open championship in Wolverhampton, England, the place Hardy additionally gained gold for his division. Hardy is making ready for his third “Venom” movie inside Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s additionally set to reprise his position as Max Rockatansky in an untitled Mad Max movie, directed by George Miller.

Throughout filming for “Mad Max: Fury Street,” different forged and crew members recalled Hardy taking his depth too far.

Charlize Theron, who co-starred within the movie, mentioned that she felt “threatened” by Hardy, and had requested safety whereas on set, in line with the guide “Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Street” by Kyle Buchanan.

In a single incident, after Hardy repeatedly confirmed up late for a shoot, she referred to as him out for his habits, which led to Hardy “charging as much as” Theron, with witnesses describing him as “fairly aggressive.”

Hardy himself addressed the claims within the guide: “The stress on each of us was overwhelming at occasions. What she wanted was a greater, maybe extra skilled accomplice in me. That’s one thing that may’t be faked. I’d prefer to assume that now that I’m older and uglier, I may rise to that event.”