The Tom Hardy performance inspired by ‘Come Dine With Me’: “It’s great people-watching”
Some actors take their inspiration from Shakespeare’s great monologues, while others are inspired by James Dean’s smouldering coolness, Marlon Brando’s visceral brooding in The Godfather, or Heath Ledger’s intense method acting in The Dark Knight.
However, for British actor Tom Hardy, inspiration springs from closer to home, specifically the country’s most beloved cultural export: daytime television.
For his role as Forrest Bondurant, a Prohibition-era American gangster, in the 2012 crime action film Lawless, based on Matt Bondurant’s novel The Wettest County in the World, Hardy transforms into a stoic figure who leads his family and their bootleg business through Prohibition-era Virginia. His performance was praised, with many critics commenting on his ability to subtly balance the tough guy act with emotional vulnerability. Admittedly, it’s the kind of emotional vulnerability that can only come from watching hours and hours of Come Dine With Me.
There are certainly hours of footage to unpack, and the show, with its 45 series since it burst onto our screens in 2005, has become symbolic of the weird and wonderful characters that make up the UK. Speaking to Total Film, Hardy confessed, I really do like Come Dine With Me. It’s great people-watching. I’ll steal characters from Come Dine With Me. Because they’re real people. I take something from everybody.”
So, who could have been his source of inspiration for the role of Forrest Bondurant? Our bets are on the iconic Heather Horsfall of Season 33 and her “You’ve really peeved me off” reaction.
Horsfall ended up finishing in fourth place, despite pulling out all the stops with a menu of smoked trout scotch eggs, tenderloin pork ratatouille with mushroom sauce, and raspberry apple Charlotte. Her incredulous look, relatable line delivery of “I’m going to bed…forget it!”, and raw anger made for a visceral performance akin to Forrest’s brooding brutality in the film.
Come to think of it, Hardy’s palpable penchant for violence as twin mafia dons Reggie and Ronnie Ray in the 2015 film Legend feels an awful lot like the threats meted out in Come Dine With Me’s Peter Marsh’s infamous “What a sad little life” monologue.
Marsh, who finishes last, behind fellow contestants Charlotte, Adam, and first-placed Jane, launches into one of the show’s most iconic verbal onslaughts, telling Jane to “enjoy the money, I hope it makes you very happy. Dear lord, what a sad little life Jane”. However, it’s arguably Peter Marsh’s mic-drop finisher, “Take your money and get off my property”, that really speaks to Tom Hardy’s gangster energy in Legend.
Or what about Tom Hardy’s role as ex-Marine fighter Tommy in the 2011 film Warrior? There’s a clear link between the great Yvonne Young of the 2010 series, whose gymnastics skills go wrong, and Hardy’s display of physical prowess and impressive stunts in the film.
While we’ll never find out exactly which characters Tom Hardy took something from, it’s reassuring that all those hours spent watching daytime TV pay off eventually.
