"Will you have me back?" - Tom Hardy reveals how Guy Ritchie's MobLand made him feel like 'warming up again' after Venom
Actor Tom Hardy was reunited with Guy Ritchie after 17 years for the crime thriller MobLand, which premiered on March 30, 2025, exclusively on Paramount+. Guy directed the first two episodes, also serving as an executive producer for the series.
Following the success of MobLand, Tom spoke to Esquire for their summer issue cover interview, published on May 9, 2025. During the interview, Tom discussed his ongoing series, and reuniting with Guy Ritchie after all these years.
Tom signed on for MobLand when he was wrapping up filming for Venom: The Last Dance, which he led, and co-produced. Talking about the same, he said that he felt like he needed a change, or else complacency would lead him back to Sony for another project related to the Venom franchise.
"I needed to go somewhere. To move forward. I needed to draw a line, because otherwise I’d be looking back, going, ‘Sony, will you have me back? Reignite the flames!’ That’s a desperate place to be as a human being,” said Tom.
He wanted a role he was previously familiar with, something that would not be too much of a cultural shock for him to process.
“You know, still a studio production, still a big vessel, but it’s different muscles. Some are older muscles that I’m warming up again, like villains and criminals," Tom explained regarding his thought process.
The British actor also explained why all these years he had kind of avoided working with Guy Ritchie. Tom felt that Guy's work was a bit too macho and geezerish for his liking when he was young. But he also admitted he misunderstood Guy, adding that an actor needed to focus on what he had to say to understand his work.
“I love Guy Ritchie when he’s on, right? I don’t like his take on ‘Oi oi, awight mate! Awight geezah!’ I’m not really into that. The first time I met him, I didn’t understand him. But when he articulates himself, you have to listen to him in a certain way, to tune in to what he wants," said Tom.
Details regarding their previous project together, RocknRolla, and their reunion on the crime thriller series MobLand are discussed further in the article.
Tom Hardy first worked with Guy Ritchie on RocknRolla
MobLand director Guy Ritchie has made many projects in his career that are heavily based on the world of gangsters and criminals. The director has also cited Quentin Tarantino and Sergio Leone as influences on his work. In 2008, Guy released his crime comedy film RocknRolla, which featured an ensemble cast that included the likes of Gerard Butler, Idris Elba, and Tom Hardy.
Tom Hardy stars in the film as Handsome Bob, a closeted gay getaway driver who has a secret crush on One-Two (played by Gerard Butler). In the film, a billionaire Russian businessman, Uri Omovich, plans a fixed land deal, which is targeted by every crook in London.
Lenny, who seems to be assisting Uri, is scamming him secretly. Uri's accountant, Stella, too, has been using the Wild Bunch, which included One-Two, Handsome Bob, and Mumbles, to steal his money. The players of the game go to great lengths to get their hands on the fixed land deal in the film.
The film featured gruesome violence, colorful and menacing characters using Cockney slang in their dialogues, and the interweaving of different scenarios. Tom, in the above interview, also mentioned he was not too keen on the style of filmmaking when he was young. The actor felt his movies had elements that were a bit too popular and commercial.
“He had a sort of punchiness and an energy that I thought was a bit popular and commercial when I was young. But it had an edge to it. It had something,” said Tom.
However, Tom's opinion since then has changed. Their reunion on MobLand has proven to be a success so far, and a change that the actor was looking for, too. As per Deadline, the series premiered to 2.2 million viewers for the first episode, becoming Paramount+'s biggest global series launch ever.
What is MobLand all about?
The crime thriller series MobLand follows the story of the Harrigans and their fixer, Harry. After the killing of Richie's son and wife, which incites a war between the Stevensons and the Harrigans, Harry is entrusted by Conrad to protect the family. While Conrad and Maeve take costly decisions, putting the family in danger, Harry does his best to deliver on every request and keep them safe.
The cast members for the project include Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Geoff Bell, Paddy Considine, and Mandeep Dhillon, among others.
MobLand is available exclusively on Paramount+ for the audience in the United States of America. Episode 8, titled Helter Skelter, is set to premiere on May 18, 2025.
Stay tuned with us for further updates.
