How Keanu Reeves ruined one of Tom Hardy’s favourite movies: “Sorry mate”
From Universal’s classic 1931 terror, Hammer’s gothic revival and iconic remakes, to modern interpretations like Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu and spin-offs like Reinfield, the figure of Dracula has arguably been one of the most revisited characters in cinema history, with over 50 film and TV adaptations of Bram Stoker’s cult story.
Some of the more famous adaptations include the original 1922 Nosferatu, directed by FW Murnau, 1981’s Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, and the 1958 Horror of Dracula, starring Christopher Lee.
There’s also Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 addition to the canon, with Bram Stoker’s Dracula, drawing on the 1974 film of the same name. Starring Keanu Reeves and Gary Oldman, it’s a lavish melodrama interpretation of the original 1897 novel, harnessing the classical gothic tropes of the Dracula aesthetic, with Oscar-winning costumes and a stand out rendition of Count Dracula from Gary Oldman—the actor came in at number nine in The Guardian‘s list of best Count Draculas performances.
The film is generally seen as one of the most faithful cinematic adaptations of Stoker’s novel, and was one of the first to reinvent Dracula not only as a monster but also as a tragic, romantic figure, evolving the character onscreen towards the vampire romance genre of the 2000s.
All this still wasn’t enough to satisfy actor Tom Hardy, however, with the actor striking Coppola’s rendition from his list of favourite films. Known for starring in high-octane action and thriller features, the actor has cemented his position within the genre with his latest film, Havoc, released on Netflix in April, which sees him play a bruised detective who must fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son.
It’s a far cry from Oldman’s Count Dracula portrayal, who Tom Hardy mentions as one of his favourite actors, especially for his role in Coppola’s Dracula adaptation. However, in the same breath, Hardy shaded on Keanu Reeves’s portrayal as one of the main protagonists, Jonathon Harker, simply saying, “Dracula without Keanu, I’m afraid”, before half-heartedly apologising to the actor, with a “sorry mate”.
Alongside the original Dracula, Hardy’s favourite films include French black-and-white classic, La Haine, American war drama, Platoon, Los Angeles crime comedy, The Big Lebowski, and the 1976 adaptation of Ken Kesey’s classic novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Perhaps the original adaptation is a favourite for the actor, who seems to be more a fan of the classics. His favourite actors also include some of the greats in cinema, including, alongside Gary Oldman, Willem Dafoe, Harrison Ford, Gene Hackman and Vincent Cassel.
Ironically, a seemingly new Dracula trailer featuring Keanu Reeves and Jenna Ortega recently made rounds on the internet, instantly intriguing fans. The viral video quickly amassed close to two million views. However, KH Studio, a YouTube channel, took responsibility for the fan-made concept, confirming it isn’t a real movie trailer (although it looks like they’ve also interchanged Keanu Reeves for Johnny Depp in another iteration). Come on, Keanu, give the people (not Tom Hardy) what they want!
