Tom Hardy’s The Bikeriders Co-Stars Insist He’s a ‘Teddy Bear’

Tom Hardy has made a career for himself portraying some of the toughest characters on modern TV and film. But according to his co-stars in Jeff Nichol’s The Bikeriders, the actor’s off-screen persona is anything but. Hardy plays Johnny in the film, the founder of a Midwestern motorcycle club which, over the course of a decade, transforms from a place for outcasts to connect, to a fully-fledged gang.

Variety attended The Bikeriders‘ premiere and spoke to several of the film’s cast and creatives about working with Tom Hardy, and they all had nothing but kind words about the British actor. “Tom Hardy was a teddy bear,” Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, a producer on the film, said. The interviewer then relayed Kavanaugh-Jones’ quote to Austin Butler, who co-leads the film as Benny, a younger member of the group. Butler wholeheartedly agreed with the statement, saying:

“He’s very much that. He’s a sweetheart.”

Damon Herriman, who plays Brucie, another member of the club, had the most to say about working with Tom Hardy. Herriman had apparently been too caught up in Hardy’s tough-guy performances as The Cray Twins in Legend or as Max Rockatansky in Mad Max: Fury Road, saying, “I thought Tom was going to be scary but he turned out really lovely.” Herriman continued:

“Honestly, he would walk on the set and give people hugs. Pretty much every time he came to set, he was like, ‘How ya doing, mate? You alright?’ And then he’d give us all hugs. I loved him.”

The Bikeriders Has “No CGI”

Set in the 1960s, The Bikeriders is inspired by true events, detailed in a 1976 photo book of the same name by journalist Danny Lyon, played by Mike Faist in the film. To immerse audiences in the time period, the film features decade-accurate clothes and motorcycles (as you would expect), but also features a small and dangerous detail in the name of historical authenticity. The Bikeriders expectedly features numerous shots of the Outlaws MC motorcycle gang riding their bikes, and none of the actors are wearing helmets.

Jeff Nichols said at the premiere that the film features “no CGI,” even during those shots. Nichols continued:

“There’s no filter. We put up a camera and lens and they got up on the bikes and rode them. But, yeah, I was terrified.”

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Nichols did reassure audiences (and the insurance companies) that the shots were achieved as safely as possible, thanks to Jeff Mulburn, the film’s stunt coordinator. But the director was still terrified about shooting those scenes, saying:

“I mean you take all the safety precautions that you can and you have stunt coordinator Jeff Milburn, who is a motorcycle guru. But at some point, it’s a 60-year-old machine and you’re spinning with speed and you have a famous person with no helmet on.”

Ahead of its theatrical release on June 21, reviews for The Bikeriders have been released online, and the movie is currently fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The reviews praised the film’s beautiful cinematography and phenomenal performances. Jodie Comer, who plays Kathy (the film’s narrator), is reportedly the highlight of the film, alongside Tom Hardy.