For Tom Hardy, FX’s “Taboo” is a Family Plot

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Pasadena, CA -- Acclaimed actor Tom Hardy gives credit to his dad, writer Edward Hardy, for making possible his current foray into TV drama as creator, star and executive producer of Taboo,first seen on BBC One and now being telecast on FX. In fact, he says the eight-part series, set in 1814, began with a conversation at his kitchen table with his dad about an idea he originally thought “might make an interesting hour of television.” It soon expanded to eight with his father at the helm.

“It started off as a conversation about nine years ago when I'd finished playing Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist,” Hardy (pictured at top) told reporters during FX’s day at the Winter 2017 Television Critics Association tour.  “I really enjoyed playing that and thought, ‘Wouldn't it be great to take somebody like Bill Sikes, who is kind of a villain, put him inside a gentleman's body, mix the two together and create a sort of hero in a classic period drama that could transcend all classes between the splendorous, opulent world of the high-end upper classes, and also the sort of underworld of London?” (The TCA panel for Taboo is pictured below.)

According to Hardy the conversation continued with him offering more ideas and character traits than could possibly apply to one man.  Finally his father stopped him.  "Tom,” he said, “that's an awful lot of people to put into a story.  Do you have a story?"

"No,” was the actor’s response. “I just want to play this character."> 

Steve Gidlow

Steve Gidlow, a long-time columnist for MediaVillage ("Behind the Scenes in Hollywood"), has written about television and pop culture since 1994, beginning in Australia.  Since moving to Hollywood in 1997, Steve has focused on celebrity interv… read more