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What About “Venom” Fascinated Tom Hardy? And Why ‘Ren and Stimpy’ Is the Answer.

By Reggie's Take on July 14, 2018

In October, Tom Hardy will play Eddie Brock a journalist who becomes the host of an alien symbiote that gives him incredible powers and in a recent interview Hardy explains why he took on the role of Venom.

Tom Hardy is no stranger to playing villainous roles in movies. Having played “Shinzon ” in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis and “Bane” in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, Hardy will take on Sony’s “Venom” this October. In the comics “Venom” became one of Spider-Man’s archenemies.

Venom / Sony / 2018

So what enticed Tom Hardy to take on the role of Venom? In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hardy talked about wanting to try his hand at a comic book superhero, one with an interesting and complicated past with questionable morals. It also helped that his son is a huge fan and was more than willing to educate his dad in Venom’s comic book lore.

“As far as Marvel characters, I have to say for me, Venom looks the coolest. That sounds a bit shallow! But I appreciate that he has a kind of brazen swagger and a zero foxtrot attitude.”

“There’s a tragic clown element, which I find funny and is harmonious with some of the work that I like to do. There’s something funny about the circumstances of having a gift but it’s a tragic gift. It’s a superpower you don’t really want, but at the same time, you love it. It makes you feel special. He’s a reluctant hero and an anti-hero.”

Sony is hoping that Venom will be the first of several new films based on characters from the Spider-Man comics. These movies will not be connected in any way to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, due to the agreement currently in place between Marvel and Sony. Currently that agreement runs out after Spider-Man Homecoming: Far From Home ends its theatrical run.

It was the duality of the role that fascinated Hardy. Part of developing both characters (Brock & Venom) was finding the two separate voices of each character.

“It’s a bit like Ren and Stimpy, you know? They have different sounds. I always saw Venom as sounding like a James Brown lounge lizard, and Eddie Brock is kind of…I don’t know, an everyday kind of guy. But he’s inherited this massive ego, this beast. There’s that biting-off-heads issue, which is not what you would expect from, say, Captain America taking down a crook.”

Are you looking forward to Venom? Do you think this Venom movie can work with no Spider-Man? Would love to know what your thoughts are.

Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott

Synopsis for Venom:
One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award® nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.