In one swift motion Hardy drops the mag and spins a full 90 degrees. We’re now inches apart. Nose-to-nose. As if the elongated S-shaped sofa we’re sharing has coiled violently, forcing us to invade each other’s personal space. “I really don’t appreciate you asking me a question like that,” Hardy growls. His fierce, penetrating eyes are fixed in an unblinking stare. “Have you ever had a near-death experience?” he asks.
“I’m speaking from experiential hindsight and I can tell you it’s not something to be taken lightly. If you want to talk to me about death you’ve got to come from that place. It’s like asking someone, ‘How many people have you killed?’ You understand what I’m saying?”
Sensing Hardy is on the verge of cutting the interview short (or something worse) LWLies extends an olive branch, making it absolutely clear we’re not here to unsettle or antagonise him. He sits back, takes a moment to collect himself and gestures for a change of subject. But almost immediately Hardy jolts forward again. “I’m sorry, man… You’ve just touched on a spot that’s very sensitive. You have no idea how close to something I am right now in my personal life. No fucking idea. It’s not your fault, I understand that, but you’ve really struck a nerve.
“I don’t want you to get the wrong impression of me,” he continues, “I don’t want you thinking I’m a dick. Genuinely, that question, what it evokes, is very close to home right now. Those photos just really freaked the shit out of me. At the moment I’m very close to some shit that you’re touching on that’s very, very serious. You’ve pushed a massive button in me and I’m just not really in a place to talk about what’s going on right now. I wish I could get into it with you, but this ain’t the time or the place. Death is a very serious reality to me.”
Little White Lies’ frighteningly great Tom Hardy interview for their Lawless Issue
