Tom Hardy shared a hug with his MobLand co-star Dame Helen Mirren at the show's season two premiere in London on Thursday, but a body language expert has claimed there was more to the embrace than it appeared.
Reports of tension between Hardy and the production during filming of season two of the Paramount+ drama had led to claims that the actor was departing the series after reportedly storming off set. Just days after Dame Helen, 81, addressed the on-set clash rumours involving Hardy, 48, the pair appeared to be getting on well as they posed for photographs on the red carpet.
Body language expert Judi James said the pair's pose after the hug resembled 'psychological warfare' rather than a simple show of affection.
'This looks like a very odd way to close down rumours of a rift on set,' James said. 'Standing toe-to-toe, torso to torso and eyeball to eyeball means Tom and Helen's after-hug pose resembles the kind of face-off heavyweight boxers perform as part of their psychological warfare, to intimidate their opponents before a big fight.'
James pointed to Hardy's hand placement as a sign of deference toward his co-star. She said his 'gentleman's hands' placement 'signals respect' for Dame Helen by 'using a light touch rather than any clutching,' but suggested Mirren seemed keen to end the embrace.
'Helen's arm hangs down at the side of her torso with no apparently instant desire to continue to reciprocate after their long but rather awkward hug,' James said.
She also said Hardy's smile did not look genuine. 'Tom's smile looks unconvincing and effortful here, with his lips kept closed while his cheeks are raised and rounded,' James said. 'When the pair do hug they look over-careful and rather awkward in a partial crouch. Tom seems to be using the common actor's device where his facial expression over Helen's shoulder appears to tell a different story as they hug as he seems to be pulling a face rather than just sharing a loving smile.'
Pierce Brosnan's body language
James said co-star Pierce Brosnan, who was watching on, also gave away telling clues through his own body language. 'As Helen and Tom are in "face-off" mode, he seems to be extending one hand in a gesture of interruption, but when the pair do hug it seems to be Pierce patting Tom in a paternal-looking gesture of approval,' she said.
MobLand is a gangster drama for Paramount+ that stars Hardy and Dame Helen alongside Brosnan, Lara Pulver, Mandeep Dhillon and Teddie Allen. The premiere marked the first time the cast had all publicly reunited since the controversy surrounding Hardy's on-set behaviour.
Reports of on-set tension
Over the past few months there have been reports of behind-the-scenes friction involving Hardy, with stories claiming there were disagreements over the direction of the show. Reports of major tension between the actor and production during filming led to claims that he had departed the show after its second season.
However, it has since been claimed that Hardy and producers Jez Butterworth and David Glasser are working through their creative differences in time to start shooting series three.
Helen Mirren defends her co-star
Dame Helen has repeatedly come to Hardy's defence. She showed her support for her co-star with a 'Love you now and always' message on Instagram and has said publicly that she would work with him again in a 'heartbeat.'
'You do learn certain things as you get older,' she told Radio Times. 'About how to work with people, really.' She said she had not become more forgiving of people but had learned that 'every single person is different; every single person has their own way of doing things.'
'There's not one way, there's a million different ways,' she said. 'What you want is what's on the screen, or what's on the stage, to be great. And the only way to do that is for everyone to feel that they can be free to create and explore and experiment and f*** up,' adding that she herself has 'endlessly' 'f**ked up.'
Dame Helen, who reprises her lead role alongside Hardy, Pulver, Dhillon and Allen, said she loves 'to work in an ensemble situation, and MobLand is very ensemble. It suits me just fine.'
