In a surprising revelation, Sir Patrick Stewart shared an amusing anecdote about a Marvel star’s unconventional audition for a Star Trek movie. Per Stewart, Tom Hardy took method acting to a whole new level by appearing n*de in his audition video.
As Stewart spoke about this daring move in an interview, the story gets all the more exciting. This unexpected twist left Stewart and the casting team both shocked and entertained.
Tom Hardy’s Audition for Star Trek: Nemesis Was Bizarre, Possibly N*de, and Unforgettable
Y’all remember the Star Trek: Nemesis, the movie where things got weird with a clone of Captain Picard? Well, things got weird way before filming even began, thanks to Tom Hardy’s legendary audition.
Back in 2022, Patrick Stewart spilled the tea on Entertainment Tonight about how they landed the future Venom himself for the role of Praetor Shinzon (Picard’s younger, twisted clone) two decades ago. The search for the right actor was a struggle. Stewart himself called up his old agent in London, basically saying,
Look, [the producers] said they’ve seen everyone but is there an actor you know who Star Trek producers haven’t seen who could be me and younger?
Enter Tom Hardy, fresh off his 2001 film Black Hawk Down. The agent just knew the guy, but there was a catch—Hardy was filming in Morocco and all he could send was a self-made audition tape. And jeez, here’s where things took a turn for the bizarre.
Per Stewart, Hardy’s tape was, well, a lot. Apparently, there were some ‘antics’ that couldn’t be edited out, and rumors swirled that Hardy might have even been partially n*de. Recalling the tape, Stewart alluded (via The Digital Fix),
It was a bizarre video and there are some people who believe he was actually naked in this video. He had the sides of some of the Shinzon scenes, but he was improvising them. He wasn’t really doing what was in the script. It certainly made us all sit up and pay attention.
And the attention they paid? Hardy landed the role, launching his now-illustrious career. Who knows, maybe a little nudity is just what the Star Trek franchise needed. Maybe not. But hey, it’s a fun story—you’ve got to agree there! Also, do you know something hilarious went down with Hardy and Stewart.
Patrick Stewart and Tom Hardy’s On-Set Distance Intensified Their On-Screen Tension
According to Patrick Stewart, things were pretty frosty between him and a young, pre-fame Tom Hardy on set. In his book, Stewart admitted he deliberately kept his distance from Hardy. He figured the on-screen tension between Picard and Shinzon would be stronger if they weren’t best buds off-camera. Stewart said (per Looper),
I wanted our life to be a life in front of the camera, apart from the small talk of sitting around waiting to work, of which, even then, there was very little. If there was an edge in the relationship, I wanted it to be visible when the camera rolled.
And let’s be honest, Hardy was a newbie then, working on his first big Hollywood gig. No wonder he was terrified! Hardy later confessed to Total Film Magazine (via Gamesradar):
I was terrified. Every day on that set, I was terrified – which worked for the character anyway. You can’t hide that, the camera will pick it up. I was genuinely out of my depth.
In fact, Stewart says Hardy mostly kept to himself in his trailer. There were barely any greetings exchanged with the cast, let alone chats about the weekend. But hey, at least he wasn’t rude! Stewart says Hardy was just a quiet guy, which ended up working for the film.The minimal interaction definitely added an extra layer of tension to their scenes.
Watch Star Trek: Nemesis on Amazon Prime.
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