I actually whimpered a little bit when I saw this cover. Jesus, Tom Hardy knows how to stare down a camera. It really is like he’s half-seductive, half-angry. Why is that so attractive? You know why. Because of the energy. Because of the passion. Because of the thunder. Anyway, the interview is really good too. Tom talks about fatherhood, acting school, Michael Fassbender (they were classmates), Mad Max and a lot more. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights (it’s a really long piece).

He’s going to ride this until the wheels fall off: “I’m not worrying about my diamond-studded shoes or, you know, my privileges. That would be ridiculous. I got lucky. I love what I do. I’m going to f–king ride it until the wheels fall off. Do what you love doing, do it well—everything should fit into place. And if you happen to make money doing it, lucky c–t. But there’s no difference between a $5 performance and a $50 million performance to me. You know what I mean? My work wouldn’t change depending on how much money you gave me. I have no desire to be a star. I’d like to be normal. ‘Cause I’m already nuts anyway. I don’t f–king need to be any further crazy.

He considered joining the military: “Yeah. I’ve got a lot of friends in the military. I have a problem with killing—otherwise I’d be doing it. I have a fundamental issue with killing something. I can’t do it. I’ve tried, trust me. It’s not easy. I don’t like hunting. I don’t see the point in killing another being. This is the paradox of the double bind, right? ‘Cause I love the military. It would be a gross act of f–king negligence, spiritually, to go and get on a plane and find myself in a place where I took somebody’s life.

Whether he’s spiritual: “More and more so every day. I think it’s important. I think it’s necessary as you get older as a bloke. I’ve spent most of my life myopic and just looking up my own ass, really. I’m an old man. And I like old-man things.”

Meeting with Mel Gibson before playing Mad Max: “He was bored with me. He said, ‘All right, buddy, good luck with that.’ Bless him. I made him a bracelet. And then we talked for a couple of hours about all kinds of stuff. I left, and that was that. And then he called up my agent and said, “I think you found someone that’s crazier than I am.”

His relationship with the press: “I’m wary of press. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I have to be very careful, because ultimately you’re doing press to promote films, not a sense of self. Who I am makes no difference. To quote Bane: “No one cared who I was until I put on the mask.” It doesn’t matter where I came from or what I do. All you need to know is that I don’t commit crimes, and I don’t kill children. I’m actually quite safe, and I have a family that I care about, and I’m open—I’m open to having a conversation about pretty much anything in the world, and I want to go down to the shop and get my milk, come back, be part of the human race. That’s it. I just want to be any normal man with my family. I’m Tommy. I’ll never really not be Tommy—I hope. I’d be a bit pissed off if that changed…if I’m a douchebag, I’d rather be a douchebag despite the fact that I’m a celebrity. I don’t want to be seen, you know? I like the shadows. I like to go and do my thing and disappear.”

Going to school with Michael Fassbender: “Mikey Fassbender, he was in the third year, and he was, like, the sh-t. And he was in this wheelchair, ’cause his character is in a wheelchair. We had, like, half an hour for lunch, a half an hour to feed the whole school. We had this little canteen, Barbara’s canteen, and Mikey would be holding up the whole queue ’cause he wouldn’t get out of his f–king wheelchair. That’s the kind of school I went to. “Mikey, man, just stand the f–k up and order your lunch so we can go back to school, so we don’t get thrown out at the end of the week.” And he’d be like, “F–k you!” It was awesome. I’ve got mad respect for him. I’d love to go up against him on stage.

Masculinity: “I’m the last person you need to ask about masculinity. I’m as masculine as an eggplant.”

[From Details]

Lord, I had to cut so much out. There’s a lengthy discussion about fatherhood and Tom’s childhood and how he had to let go of his anger towards his parents when he became a father. He also said that most of the stories about his fights with Charlize Theron were “bollocks” even though he admits that they’re both very “intense” people. And the Fassbender story… God, I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to go to a school with Fassy and Hardy. How did anyone get any work done?

Photos courtesy of Greg Williams/Details.