‘Dark Knight Rises’ star Tom Hardy talks Heath Ledger and his Bane costume
Tom Hardy says he doesn’t want to compete with Heath Ledger in his role as the villain Bane in this summer’s “The Dark Knight Rises,” which concludes the Batman trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan. The “Inception” star described his costume and his mask.
Talking with Collider in an interview published Tuesday, Hardy revealed that his Bane mask and costume was not the most comfortable.
“Hot. It’s very, very, very hot. Yeah. We’re all getting very hot. You think about the lads that are out in Afghanistan and Baghdad, and you think about the kit they have to wear, well then it’s actually not that bad, is it? But it is hot. It’s hard to breathe.”
The mask was a target of criticism from fans after the prologue was released with “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol,” and the “Warrior” star laughed off breathing and talking in the Bane mask.
“You just put it on, you know? [Laughs] And then it’s on, and it’s hard to breathe. I can’t hear anyone, and no one can see me speak. So there you go. [Laughs] And the magic begins.”
Hardy has a real challenge to follow Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in “Dark Knight,” but the future “Mad Max” star doesn’t want this to be a competition.
“That would be putting myself in a competition with somebody who’s clearly brilliant. And it’s not a question of whose talent is greater or whose work is greater. It’s just trying to be the best that we can be. I’m not trying to be better than somebody else. What he did was amazing. That’s that. I’ve got a part I’ve got to play, and I want to play my part.”
Joining Hardy as an antagonist in “Rises” is Anne Hathaway who plays Catwoman. Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine all return to reprise their roles from their first two films. New additions include Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Pence, Matthew Modine and Juno Temple.
“The Dark Knight Rises” opens in theaters on July 20, 2012.
