We’re still two months or so away from release and we’ve already hit a breaking point regarding just how tough the conditions were on the set of The Revenant. As Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu recently said, “Nobody will go to a film because the guys were on schedule and on budget. It’s how good the film is.” The same can be said for how grueling the process was, so we’ll have to wait and see if the effort was all worth it. In the meantime, however, Tom Hardy has now confirmed a portion of his experience that was rumored for the last many months.
It was said that Hardy — who has been known to go his own path, so to speak, on a number of different sets — got into a tussle with Iñárritu. This resulted in a wrestling match that led him to putting his director in a chokehold. When production wrapped (before additional shooting this summer), he offered an olive branch by way of a signed poster capturing the event (seen at the bottom of this page and even printed on a shirt adorned by the actor).
Hardy has now spoken about the conflict with EW, saying, “When things get a bit too serious, I go, ‘Why don’t we have a cuddle in front of all these people here?’ It ends with both of us falling down in the snow. I think that’s a good thing. If I’m the naughty boy for doing that, then I’d rather be the naughty boy and release that tension.”
He continues, “He’s unlike any director I’ve ever worked with. He sees things how he sees them, so to give him back what he wants is quite an interesting experience. It could drive you f—ing nuts.” Iñárritu adds, “On the surface, he can look inaccessible or difficult. But he is just a beautiful human being. He’s incredibly sensitive and lovable.”
So, with that settled, we look forward to the release and today brings some new images from Empire (via a DiCaprio fan site), which can be seen above and below. As for Hardy’s potential awards run? “Lock me out of that, for your own good,” he says when it comes to the Oscar ceremony. “It’s like putting a wig on a dog, or a tutu on a crocodile. It doesn’t look right, it’s not fair to the animal, and inevitably someone will get bitten and hurt.” Amen.
The Revenant opens on December 25th.