--- description: It's relevant to his work as an actor—and nothing to be embarrassed about title: There Is Nothing Wrong With Asking Tom Hardy About Sexuality image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc630c2ee3495a5b2/6988639c0b72e3555c6e5d0f/tom-hardy1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Culture](/tag/culture/) ## Culture Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # There Is Nothing Wrong With Asking Tom Hardy About Sexuality ## Video: Legend Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Tom Hardy, Emily Browning Movie HD [Watch (HLS stream): Legend Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Tom Hardy, Emily Browning Movie HD](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PLsxK48t.m3u8) (2:29)  _Published 2015-09-04. Set in London’s West End during the Swinging ‘60s, Legend follows the rise of real-life identical twin gangsters (both played by Hardy) Ronnie and Reggie Kray._ by [Brian Moylan](/author/brian-moylan/) ## Brian Moylan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 15, 2015 3:36 PM CUT  Actor Tom Hardy speaks during the 'Legend' press conference at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto on Sept. 13, 201.5 Actor Tom Hardy speaks during the 'Legend' press conference at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto on Sept. 13, 201.5Juanito Aguil/WireImage by [Brian Moylan](/author/brian-moylan/) ## Brian Moylan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 15, 2015 3:36 PM CUT Tom Hardy’s sexual orientation has made [headlines](http://defamer.gawker.com/remember-when-tom-hardy-had-sex-with-men-1707182772 "undefined") in the past. Now, his [refusal to talk about talking about sexuality](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tiff-legend-star-tom-hardy-822752 "undefined") is [causing a stir](http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/tom-hardy-slams-reporter-sexuality-tense-exchange-2015149 "undefined"). It shouldn’t. On Sunday, at a press conference at the Toronto International Film Festival for Hardy’s new movie _Legend,_ in which Hardy plays a gay man, reporter Graeme Coleman from the LGBT news outlet [Daily Xtra](http://www.dailyxtra.com/ "undefined") asked Hardy: “Do you find it hard for celebrities to talk to media about their sexuality?” After an awkward back-and-forth, Hardy shut down the question with “Thank you.” Digg posted the video with the headline “[Tom Hardy Has The Perfect Answer To Reporter Asking Him About His Sexuality](http://digg.com/video/tom-hardy-sexuality-perfect-response "undefined").” But if anything this should make Hardy look bad, not the reporter. There is nothing embarrassing about being gay. There is nothing dirty or taboo about it. Asking someone if he or she is gay is the equivalent of asking if they are married, if they were raised Christian, of if they have a bachelor’s degree. It is a factual question. Just because being gay affects who a person has sex with, this is not a question about his or her sex life. It’s not asking about which sexual positions a person prefers or how often they masturbate. Those are, of course, personal matters that should never be asked about (unless by a very close friend at a boozy brunch). The reason why some people don’t want to ask—both at press conferences and at cocktail parties—is because there is still that little lingering doubt in the back of their minds that there is something wrong with homosexuality. If you ask someone whether he or she is gay, and he or she is not, they should not feel badly about themselves or about you. Gay people are, in most cases, happy to tell you that they are gay. Straight people hardly ever get asked whether they’re straight or gay and might be taken aback by the question, but they seem to never have a problem setting the record straight. (Asking how much someone makes or how much they spent on a dress, however, is still off limits.) Regardless, these questions are especially relevant given Hardy’s past statements and his role in this movie. In 2008, while Hardy was promoting another movie in which he played a gay man, British gay lifestyle magazine _Attitude_ quoted him saying “I’ve played with everything and everyone.” Hardy [later denied](http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2011/09/tom-hardy-denies-gay-rumors-claims-was-misquoted/ "undefined") that he ever had sex with men and said he was misquoted. In _Legend_, Hardy plays both Reggie and Ronnie Kray, twin British gangsters. Ronnie is known to have been gay, and recent reports claim that [both brothers were bisexual](http://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/601168/krays-documentary-both-gay-mum-killed-frances-shea "undefined"). That’s likely why the reporter asked about Hardy’s sexual orientation. It’s the same reason why a reporter might ask the man playing Jesus in a TV movie whether or not he was raised Christian. It doesn’t question his competence as an actor, but it does have relevance to what sort of personal experiences he brings to the role. I get why Hardy is upset with the inquiry—the question has been asked and answered. We don’t need to ask Neil Patrick Harris or Wanda Sykes about their sexuality for every role they play. The issue is that the question is whether Hardy finds it hard for celebrities to talk about their sexuality, and Hardy says no when everything about his response seems to say the opposite. Those who are [celebrating](http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/tom-hardy-sexuality-reporter-shutdown-6440413 "undefined") Hardy’s response seem to think that keeping people from asking about sexual orientation is helping end homophobia. It’s just the opposite, in fact. It further convinces people that being gay (or even asking if someone is gay) is something shameful that needs to be hidden. It’s not. A more honest, interesting answer would have gone something like this: --- > “” --- That would have been the perfect answer, but Hardy unfortunately didn’t give it. ### _Mad Max: Fury Road_  Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron star in Mad Max: Fury Road Jasin Boland—Warner Bros. In a summer full of CGI dinosaurs and robots, _Mad Max: Fury Road_ proves that action blockbusters can still be the sort of high art that gets a standing ovation at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Director George Miller not only perfected the form, building the rickety fire-shooting vehicles from scratch, but adds narrative heft, taking on serious issues like sex slavery in a nuanced way. _—Eliana Dockterman_ ### _It Follows_  IT FOLLOWS, from left: Lili Sepe, Maika Monroe, 2014\. ©RADiUS-TWC RADiUS-TWC As a premise, “pretty teen girl running from certain doom” may not sound like the makings of an inventive horror film. Yet David Robert Mitchell’s indie sensibility makes the movie unlike any thriller you’ve seen before, while still paying homage to the best traditions of the form. _—Sarah Begley_ ### _Far From the Madding Crowd_  FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD, Carey Mulligan, 2015\. ph: Alex Bailey/TM & copyright © Fox Searchlight. All rights reserved Alex Bailey—Fox Searchlight The new adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel appeals to the _Pride and Prejudice_ set, but with more subtlety and sadness than most Austen films, plus a hearty heaping of rustic drudgery. Carey Mulligan’s gutsy Bathsheba gets swept off her feet like the best of her 19th century romantic peers, but without their usual histrionics—somewhere between _Lean In_ and _Wuthering Heights_. _—Sarah Begley_ ### _Love & Mercy_  LOVE & MERCY, (aka LOVE AND MERCY), Paul Dano, as Brian Wilson, at drums: Kenny Wormald, as Dennis Wilson, 2014\. ph: Francois Duhamel/©Roadside Attractions Roadside Attractions Paul Dano fulfills the promise of roles in _Little Miss Sunshine_ and _There Will Be Blood_ as a young Brian Wilson, the Beach Boy who’s going slowly mad while recording the group’s landmark album _Pet Sounds_. John Cusack shows us the older Wilson, now paralyzed by overmedication at the hands of a villain. It’s a gripping story of mental illness, which is sadly all too common, and true musical genius—which is extremely rare. _—Sarah Begley_ **MORE** [The Top 10 Best Movie Performances of 2015](http://time.com/collection-post/4134970/top-10-best-movie-performances/ "undefined") ### _Furious 7_  FURIOUS 7, (aka FAST & FURIOUS 7), from left: Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Paul Walker, Ludacris, 2015\. ph: Scott Garfield/©Universal Pictures Scott Garfield—Universal Each _Fast & Furious_ movie has gleefully attempted to outdo the previous one. Brought down a plane in the last movie? How about making cars fly out of one in the next? While _Furious 7_ doubled down on its self-consciously corny lines and over-the-top stunts—crashing cars through not one, not two, but three high rises—it also took a moment to give a surprisingly moving send off to star Paul Walker, who died in 2013\. While he will be missed, this increasingly diverse franchise has a bright future. _—Eliana Dockterman_ ### _Ex Machina_  EX MACHINA, Alicia Vikander, 2015\. ©A24 A24 Alicia Vikander’s breakout year hinged on her spooky turn as a robot who may or may not have motives of her own. But this sci-fi thriller got its thrust from the creepy bond between the two men obsessed with Ava: tech billionaire Oscar Isaac and humble employee Domhnall Gleeson. _—Dan D’Addario_ **MORE** [The Top 10 Best Movies 0f 2015](http://time.com/collection-post/4134913/top-10-best-movies/ "undefined") ### _Clouds of Sils Maria_  CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA, Kristen Stewart, 2014\. ph: Carole Bethuel/©IFC Films IFC Films Freed from _Twilight_, Kristen Stewart showed flashes of both savage intelligence and newfound sensitivity as the personal assistant to Juliette Binoche’s pampered, neurotic actress. The film works as both insider moviemaking satire and an enigmatic tribute to intergenerational bonds between women. _—Dan D’Addario_ ### _Welcome to Me_  WELCOME TO ME, Kristen Wiig, 2014\. ph: Suzanne Hanover/©Alchemy Suzanne Hanover—Alchemy Kristen Wiig, at her best, has always had a far more barbed edge than her comedy contemporaries; there’s real bite, and pathos, to her most memorable characters. Add Alice Klieg to that pantheon. Wiig commits utterly to the story of an ill woman who spends her lottery winnings on a five-day-a-week talk show dedicated to praising herself and shaming her enemies. It works as comment on our media age, but soars as a portrait of suffering that only Wiig could make hilarious. _—Dan D’Addario_ ### _Dope_  Open Road Films Writer-director Rick Famuyiwa’s tale about a nerdy black teen obsessed with ’90s hip hop culture rejects the trappings the typical coming-of-age flick, starting with its setting: Inglewood, Calif., otherwise known as “The Bottoms.” Newcomer Shameik Moore’s portrayal of Malcolm, who’s stuck between his ambition for a spot at Harvard and the whac-a-mole of obstacles that keep popping up to thwart him, thrusts the rising star into the well-deserved spotlight. _—Eliza Berman_ ### _Me and Earl and the Dying Girl_  ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL, (aka ME,& EARL & THE DYING GIRL), from left: Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, 2015\. ph: Anne Marie Fox/TM & copyright © Fox Searchlight Pictures. All rights reserved Fox Searchlight Pictures Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s adaptation of Jesse Andrews’ young adult novel is a love letter to his late father and a tribute to the cinema greats who professionally reared him—and the movie’s labor-of-love origins are felt throughout. Though its plot, in which a high school senior is forced by his parents to befriend a classmate with leukemia, begs comparisons to _The Fault in Our Stars_, the movie defies categorization as a typical teen cancer rom-com by keeping its quirky protagonists in the realm of friendship. _—Eliza Berman_ ### _The Boy Next Door_  Universal No, you didn’t stumble onto the list of worst movies so far, and no, this wasn’t included to make a larger point about how _The Boy Next Door_ is the rare thriller that lets a middle-aged heroine objectify a _dude_ for a change. (In that way, it’s basically the “I Luh Ya Papi” video of thrillers.) _The Boy Next Door_ gets its due here because the cheap twists and unintentionally laugh-out-loud dialogue (first edition of _The Iliad_, anyone?) made for one of the most deliriously _fun_ theater-going experiences of 2015. _—Nolan Feeney_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4033914/tom-hardy-sexuality/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4033914/tom-hardy-sexuality/"},"headline":"There Is Nothing Wrong With Asking Tom Hardy About Sexuality","datePublished":"2015-09-15T15:36:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:41.108Z","description":"It's relevant to his work as an actor—and nothing to be embarrassed about","url":"https://time.com/4033914/tom-hardy-sexuality/","keywords":["Culture"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc630c2ee3495a5b2/6988639c0b72e3555c6e5d0f/tom-hardy1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Moylan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/brian-moylan/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc630c2ee3495a5b2/6988639c0b72e3555c6e5d0f/tom-hardy1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tom-Hardy","caption":"TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 13: Actor Tom Hardy speaks during the 'Legend' press conference at TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 13, 2015 in Toronto, Canada. 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