At 47, Tom Hardy Says His Body is “Falling Apart” from Action Scenes

The history of cinema is filled with numerous examples of accidents and injuries occurring on set. The reasons are varied: poorly coordinated stunts, overconfident and/or unfit actors, directors pushing their cast to extremes to achieve the most realistic shots possible, or severely compromised safety measures, sometimes bordering on non-existent.

Fortunately, with the passing years, safety protocols on movie sets have significantly improved. While most injuries can be treated, sometimes halting production for recovery, some injuries may cause lasting physical damage to the actors involved.

“It’s Not Going to Get Easier…”

Recently opening up in a lengthy article published by Esquire, Tom Hardy reveals how his body is now “in pieces” as he approaches his fifties after years of filming intense action scenes. His roles have ranged from “Warrior,” “The Dark Knight Rises” as Bane, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the “Venom” series, to the extreme conditions of “The Revenant.”

“I’ve had two knee surgeries, I have a herniated disc in my back and sciatica,” he shares, before mentioning additional ailments such as plantar fasciitis. “Also, I’ve torn a tendon in my hip. It feels like my whole body is falling apart and it’s not going to get any easier.”

Despite these challenges, the actor isn’t slowing down. He recently led the action film “Ravage,” which debuted on Netflix in April, and he’s also the star of the series “Mobland,” set to air on Paramount+ at the end of the month.