Chris Nolan talks about why he chose to work with Tom Hardy - also from Studio Ciné Live, Aug 2012. Transcribed and translated by me.
I’d seen him in Rocknrolla by Guy Ritchie, and Tom made a very strong impression on me. He was quickly established for the role of Eames in Inception. He has an astounding capability for transformation. He doesn’t intellectualise his characters, but creates a world for them, from where you can have passionate discussions when you’re a director. I was a bit nervous when I explained to Tom that he would, for the whole film, have his face covered. He created an immense, terrifying character only with his eyes and eyebrows… And also a scary physical transformation. Such actors always makes me think of what John Ford said: when he was having a problem on set, he said that the most fascinating thing in the world remained the human face.
