Speculation has intensified
Speculation has intensified this week after reports emerged that Tom Hardy was dropped from MobLand ahead of its third season.
Now, Helen Mirren has spoken out in support of her co-star amid the rumours surrounding his alleged exit.
Hardy stars alongside Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan in the hit Paramount+ series, which is set to return for a third season.
Last week, Puck News reported that the Mad Max star would not be returning to his role.
The publication claimed he was fired after a clash with producers, during which showrunner Jez Butterworth allegedly gave Paramount+ an ultimatum: either dismiss him or let Hardy go.
A recent report from The Hollywood Reporterexpanded on the claims, citing an insider who described Hardy’s alleged on-set behaviour as “career suicide.”
The report claims the incidents took place during production of season two, which has yet to be released, and alleges that Hardy would spend long periods in his trailer and refuse to come to set, reportedly leaving his A-list co-stars waiting.
However, if things weren’t already complicated enough, a new report came out yesterday (May 28) claiming that while there had been tensions on-set, the rumours about Hardy being let go weren’t true.
A source close to the production told Variety: “Tom was not fired, the door is not closed for Season 3, and things are being worked through creatively.”
The insider then went on to say that director Guy Ritchie ‘likes working with Tom’ and was likely ‘pushing’ to make things work.
In addition, Mirren is also keen to dispel rumours of any tension between her and Hardy.
Late on Thursday (28 May), Mirren shared a snap of Hardy in costume as his MobLand character Harry Da Souza and captioned it: “Love you now and always, Helen.”
So, this makes Mirren’s stance on the matter clear.
However, this isn’t the first time the Red star has shown support for Hardy, as back in December Mirren shared a photo of her co-star alongside a list of her “likes and dislikes.”
She wrote: “Things I love: 1. Christmas for obvious reasons. 2. Tom Hardy for his brilliance onscreen, his dedication off screen, his good heart and especially the HardyHugs I get when onset with him which is not nearly enough in my opinion. Things I hate: 1. Swede (the vegetable). 2. Bad journalism.”
