Austin Butler Surprisingly Got Along with His ‘Hero’ Tom Hardy on The Bikeriders Despite His Initial Doubts
It’s always scary to meet your heroes!
Austin Butler, who claims to be a fan of Tom Hardy, was nervous before meeting the superstar. Since the duo had many scenes together, the Dune actor was worried they wouldn’t get along simply because— “You never know.” But thankfully, they developed a wonderful camaraderie both on and off screen!
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Austin Butler thought he wouldn’t get along with co-star Tom Hardy
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Butler was asked about his experience working with the Mad Max: Fury Road actor. “You never know when you meet your heroes if you’re going to get along,” he said. But his worst fears were not true, and the duo developed a great bond. “Tom makes me laugh harder than almost anyone in this world,” The Elvis actor added.
Not only Butler but also the film’s producer, Sarah Green, was also nervous about Hardy’s portrayal of the role, especially what he would sound like. But when Hardy first spoke his dialogue, they knew they had the perfect person for the role.
“We all went, ‘What?! That’s so wild!’ There was a little Marlon Brando in there; I think there was a little Jimmy Cagney in there. It worked so well for us,” Green added.
Jodie Comer was nervous before her on-screen love-at-first-sight scene with Butler
Jodie Comer—who played Butler’s on-screen wife, Kathy—revealed being nervous before filming the first meeting between her and Butler’s character because “It was busy, and it was live,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
“I remember telling Austin at one point, ‘God, I’m so nervous,’ ” she recalled. Comer wanted to hold her own in the scene just as her character did while being introduced to the bikeriders gang. Although the Killing Eve actress felt the pressure, her co-star made it easier for her.
“Everyone who meets him falls in love with him as soon as he walks in a room,” she said about Butler. And it definitely helped her ease in before filming the “nerve-wracking” love-at-first-sight scene.
Writer-director Jeff Nichols recalled filming that pivotal scene and called it “a special night.” He also revealed Hardy’s suggestion to Butler about turning a chair around to sit backward while staring into Comer’s eyes, which enhanced the scene on another level.
“Austin did it, and then it gave him something to prop his arms up on. And these massive biceps and triceps, glistening in the light,” Nichols said with a laugh.
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