As DUNKIRK continues to light up the box office, earn scores of rave reviews and be praised as one of Christopher Nolan’s best (if not the best), there’s one funny detail about the film that can’t seem to go unnoticed: Tom Hardy yet again stars in a film where, for most of the film, his face is covered with some sort of mask. Fans have been making playful jokes about the trend, and Nolan himself has joined the party, joking about his decision to cloak the actor’s expressive face with a garment.
While talking with The Independent, Nolan started kidding about covering Hardy’s face, saying how he was so pleased with his mask work in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES that he wanted to see if he could push it further:
I was pretty thrilled with what he did in The Dark Knight Rises with two eyes and couple of eyebrows and a bit of forehead so I thought let's see what he can do with no forehead, no real eyebrows, maybe one eye.
Hardy started the trend in 2012 with THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, wherein his character – Bane – wore a mask that covered most of his face and head (and muffled his voice). He kept the train going in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, where for much of the beginning he was trapped in an iron face mask – albeit with not as much restriction as RISES. Now he plays a pilot in DUNKIRK, and for the entirety of the movie his face is covered with a breathing mask – his voice somewhat muffled. Though only ribbing in the above comment, Nolan did go on to take this opportunity to praise the actor for being able to do so much with so little:
Of course Tom, being Tom, what he does with single eye acting is far beyond what anyone else can do with their whole body, that is just the unique talent of the man, he's extraordinary.
Right you are, sir.
Having been blown away by DUNKIRK (getting to see it in 70mm), I was especially impressed with Hardy’s performance as the daring and brave fighter pilot. Using only his eyes and forehead he is able to communicate a sense of fear, desperation and deep, internal calculation. It’s a marvelous performance from someone in such a confined space, and indeed proves why he’s such an immense talent. He could’ve crushed the role as the ghost in this year’s A GHOST STORY.
DUNKIRK is in theaters now.