Being a leading man was never a priority for Tom Hardy

Hardy revealed to AV Club his fondness for supporting roles, referencing other actors in the process. He also aptly compared his acting philosophy to a popular sport:

"I mean, you look at Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Philip Seymour Hoffman - they're great character actors. Not necessarily the lead role, but what's up? What's so bad about playing a co-star? What makes you think it's so different to play up front? The difference in some aspects is like playing football... He doesn't there is no difference between passing the ball at someone's feet with precision than there is between the striker being precise on the goal Being a co-star or an actor is a position as important on the pitch than being a striker."

Shocking football analogy aside, Gary Oldman is a fascinating mention when it comes to being a co-star. Oldman has three Best Actor Oscar nominations under his belt, but there's some truth to what Hardy says. Like Hardy, Oldman played supporting roles, most notably in the same film, Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises." But if you look even closer at the trajectory of Oldman's career, it includes a slew of memorable characters like Sirius Black in the "Harry Potter" saga and some of his early work as a villain in "Leon: The Professional". If we had to compare one actor to another, I'd say Oldman's resume is closest to what Hardy brings to the table.

Lead actor or not, a key aspect of Hardy's thought process when it comes to acting is his commitment to supporting the person in front of him.