When Tom Hardy started preparing for Venom, he decided to push himself to the limit—just as he did for roles in movies like The Dark Knight Rises and Warrior. And that meant working out four days a week wasn’t going to cut it. So Hardy stepped up his training with MMA fighter Nathan Jones and trainer Mark Mene to five days per week. This was no elliptical machine workout, either—we’re talking a bruising regimen of boxing, mixed martial arts, jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing. “Most people take the easy option, but not Tom,” Jones said in a behind-the-scenes featurette of the actor’s training, showing off some of the badass moves Hardy’s been learning. “There’s always room for one more session or spar; he has the right work ethic. It started with three or four days per week, then Tom wanted to do five days per week, he wanted to do double sessions—he wanted to get it right. It will be reflected in the role.” Hardy is no stranger to intense workouts for film roles: In The Dark Knight Rises, Hardy gained 30lbs of muscle to play the physically intimidating Bane. For Warrior, he turned himself into a 185-lb machine to portray an imposing MMA fighter. Although Hardy will be using motion-capture technology to portray Venom (according to actor Andy Serkis), Hardy clearly wanted to get the physicality right in his training. “I’m impressed: [Tom] doesn’t class himself as an athlete, but he definitely trains like one,” Mene said in the video. “He’s dealing with a guy who turns into an 8’4” beast. What the world is going to see is one of the darkest, most powerful supervillains that Marvel’s ever created—it’s gonna be carnage. He’s definitely going to live up to the character.” Hardy’s Warrior training made him plenty familiar with mixed martial arts and kickboxing, giving him a foundation to work with for Venom. Based on what Hardy’s been doing with Jones and Mene, it seems that Venom will have just as much fighting as Warrior did. “Tom’s got power, he’s got that fight in him. It’s good to see someone have it,” Jones said. “He’ll live the character, and that should come across on the screen. He’s a good student—receptive, open to learning. I just give it to him, whether it’s boxing, kickboxing, or MMA, he’s open to it all. It’s not just learning the techniques, it’s also putting the combinations together, it’s learning how to deal with shots coming at you, learning how to fight. He has all that.” UPDATE: It seems that the training featurette has been taken off the web, but the above quotes describe what the trainers said in the video. Here’s a look at Hardy in action in some other videos, working with those same trainers that spoke in the featurette:
#Training4Venom With @mrbagandtag Nathan Jones he fights BAMMA title fight on Sept 15th at Wembly am mega lucky to have him coaching me. He’s a busy and very talented fellow #tomhardy @tomhardydotorg @mrbagandtag #Nathan Jones BAMMA #Venom #EddieBrock #training #coach A post shared by tomhardydotorg (@tomhardydotorg) on Aug 29, 2017 at 11:40am PDT
#Repost from @royalmarinesjiujitsu with @regram.app … REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation Ambassador Tom Hardy in his REORG kit, available now at www.subguards.com and www.tatamifightwear.com Profit from your purchase goes directly to the REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation. Start Jiu Jitsu, enjoy the journey there are REORG supporting Academy’s, Instructors all over the UK and Globally. If you want to support REORG or want more information please get in touch @royalmarinesjiujitsu www.re-org.org If your a Veteran and would like to get involved in Jiu Jitsu please message REORG directly UK @royalmarinesjiujitsu or in the US @wedefyfoundation #reorg #wedefyfoundation #royalmarinescharity #royalmarinesbjj #stateofmind #royalmarinescommando #bjj #jiujitsu #bjjlifestyle #jiujitsulifestyle #wedefyfoundation #military #militaryjiujitsu #vetransjiujitsu #mentalhealth #combatstress #ptsd #veteran #subguards #tomhardy #rvn #commando #greenberet #venom #venomprep @subguards @tatamifightwear @tomhardydotorg A post shared by tomhardydotorg (@tomhardydotorg) on Sep 27, 2017 at 7:15pm PDT
#Repost from @royalmarinesjiujitsu with @regram.app … REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation Ambassador Tom Hardy in his REORG kit, available now at www.subguards.com and www.tatamifightwear.com Profit from your purchase goes directly to the REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation. Start Jiu Jitsu, enjoy the journey there are REORG supporting Academy’s, Instructors all over the UK and Globally. If you want to support REORG or want more information please get in touch @royalmarinesjiujitsu www.re-org.org If your a Veteran and would like to get involved in Jiu Jitsu please message REORG directly UK @royalmarinesjiujitsu or in the US @wedefyfoundation #reorg #wedefyfoundation #royalmarinescharity #royalmarinesbjj #stateofmind #royalmarinescommando #bjj #jiujitsu #bjjlifestyle #jiujitsulifestyle #wedefyfoundation #military #militaryjiujitsu #vetransjiujitsu #mentalhealth #combatstress #ptsd #veteran #subguards #tomhardy #rvn #commando #greenberet #venom #venomprep @subguards @tatamifightwear @tomhardydotorg A post shared by tomhardydotorg (@tomhardydotorg) on Oct 3, 2017 at 8:17am PDT
Venom, directed by Ruben Fleischer, is set for an Oct. 5, 2018 release. See how Hardy is getting it done in the training featurette (we’ll see if it ever comes back): https://youtube.com/watch?v=pVeL1eBIQpA
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When Tom Hardy started preparing for Venom, he decided to push himself to the limit—just as he did for roles in movies like The Dark Knight Rises and Warrior.
And that meant working out four days a week wasn’t going to cut it.
So Hardy stepped up his training with MMA fighter Nathan Jones and trainer Mark Mene to five days per week. This was no elliptical machine workout, either—we’re talking a bruising regimen of boxing, mixed martial arts, jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing.
“Most people take the easy option, but not Tom,” Jones said in a behind-the-scenes featurette of the actor’s training, showing off some of the badass moves Hardy’s been learning. “There’s always room for one more session or spar; he has the right work ethic. It started with three or four days per week, then Tom wanted to do five days per week, he wanted to do double sessions—he wanted to get it right. It will be reflected in the role.”
Hardy is no stranger to intense workouts for film roles: In The Dark Knight Rises, Hardy gained 30lbs of muscle to play the physically intimidating Bane. For Warrior, he turned himself into a 185-lb machine to portray an imposing MMA fighter. Although Hardy will be using motion-capture technology to portray Venom (according to actor Andy Serkis), Hardy clearly wanted to get the physicality right in his training.
“I’m impressed: [Tom] doesn’t class himself as an athlete, but he definitely trains like one,” Mene said in the video. “He’s dealing with a guy who turns into an 8’4” beast. What the world is going to see is one of the darkest, most powerful supervillains that Marvel’s ever created—it’s gonna be carnage. He’s definitely going to live up to the character.”
Hardy’s Warrior training made him plenty familiar with mixed martial arts and kickboxing, giving him a foundation to work with for Venom. Based on what Hardy’s been doing with Jones and Mene, it seems that Venom will have just as much fighting as Warrior did.
“Tom’s got power, he’s got that fight in him. It’s good to see someone have it,” Jones said. “He’ll live the character, and that should come across on the screen. He’s a good student—receptive, open to learning. I just give it to him, whether it’s boxing, kickboxing, or MMA, he’s open to it all. It’s not just learning the techniques, it’s also putting the combinations together, it’s learning how to deal with shots coming at you, learning how to fight. He has all that.”
UPDATE: It seems that the training featurette has been taken off the web, but the above quotes describe what the trainers said in the video. Here’s a look at Hardy in action in some other videos, working with those same trainers that spoke in the featurette:
#Training4Venom With @mrbagandtag Nathan Jones he fights BAMMA title fight on Sept 15th at Wembly am mega lucky to have him coaching me. He’s a busy and very talented fellow #tomhardy @tomhardydotorg @mrbagandtag #Nathan Jones BAMMA #Venom #EddieBrock #training #coach A post shared by tomhardydotorg (@tomhardydotorg) on Aug 29, 2017 at 11:40am PDT
#Training4Venom With @mrbagandtag Nathan Jones he fights BAMMA title fight on Sept 15th at Wembly am mega lucky to have him coaching me. He’s a busy and very talented fellow #tomhardy @tomhardydotorg @mrbagandtag #Nathan Jones BAMMA #Venom #EddieBrock #training #coach
A post shared by tomhardydotorg (@tomhardydotorg) on Aug 29, 2017 at 11:40am PDT
#Repost from @royalmarinesjiujitsu with @regram.app … REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation Ambassador Tom Hardy in his REORG kit, available now at www.subguards.com and www.tatamifightwear.com Profit from your purchase goes directly to the REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation. Start Jiu Jitsu, enjoy the journey there are REORG supporting Academy’s, Instructors all over the UK and Globally. If you want to support REORG or want more information please get in touch @royalmarinesjiujitsu www.re-org.org If your a Veteran and would like to get involved in Jiu Jitsu please message REORG directly UK @royalmarinesjiujitsu or in the US @wedefyfoundation #reorg #wedefyfoundation #royalmarinescharity #royalmarinesbjj #stateofmind #royalmarinescommando #bjj #jiujitsu #bjjlifestyle #jiujitsulifestyle #wedefyfoundation #military #militaryjiujitsu #vetransjiujitsu #mentalhealth #combatstress #ptsd #veteran #subguards #tomhardy #rvn #commando #greenberet #venom #venomprep @subguards @tatamifightwear @tomhardydotorg A post shared by tomhardydotorg (@tomhardydotorg) on Sep 27, 2017 at 7:15pm PDT
#Repost from @royalmarinesjiujitsu with @regram.app … REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation Ambassador Tom Hardy in his REORG kit, available now at www.subguards.com and www.tatamifightwear.com Profit from your purchase goes directly to the REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation. Start Jiu Jitsu, enjoy the journey there are REORG supporting Academy’s, Instructors all over the UK and Globally. If you want to support REORG or want more information please get in touch @royalmarinesjiujitsu www.re-org.org If your a Veteran and would like to get involved in Jiu Jitsu please message REORG directly UK @royalmarinesjiujitsu or in the US @wedefyfoundation #reorg #wedefyfoundation #royalmarinescharity #royalmarinesbjj #stateofmind #royalmarinescommando #bjj #jiujitsu #bjjlifestyle #jiujitsulifestyle #wedefyfoundation #military #militaryjiujitsu #vetransjiujitsu #mentalhealth #combatstress #ptsd #veteran #subguards #tomhardy #rvn #commando #greenberet #venom #venomprep @subguards @tatamifightwear @tomhardydotorg
A post shared by tomhardydotorg (@tomhardydotorg) on Sep 27, 2017 at 7:15pm PDT
#Repost from @royalmarinesjiujitsu with @regram.app … REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation Ambassador Tom Hardy in his REORG kit, available now at www.subguards.com and www.tatamifightwear.com Profit from your purchase goes directly to the REORG Jiu Jitsu Foundation. Start Jiu Jitsu, enjoy the journey there are REORG supporting Academy’s, Instructors all over the UK and Globally. If you want to support REORG or want more information please get in touch @royalmarinesjiujitsu www.re-org.org If your a Veteran and would like to get involved in Jiu Jitsu please message REORG directly UK @royalmarinesjiujitsu or in the US @wedefyfoundation #reorg #wedefyfoundation #royalmarinescharity #royalmarinesbjj #stateofmind #royalmarinescommando #bjj #jiujitsu #bjjlifestyle #jiujitsulifestyle #wedefyfoundation #military #militaryjiujitsu #vetransjiujitsu #mentalhealth #combatstress #ptsd #veteran #subguards #tomhardy #rvn #commando #greenberet #venom #venomprep @subguards @tatamifightwear @tomhardydotorg A post shared by tomhardydotorg (@tomhardydotorg) on Oct 3, 2017 at 8:17am PDT
A post shared by tomhardydotorg (@tomhardydotorg) on Oct 3, 2017 at 8:17am PDT
Venom, directed by Ruben Fleischer, is set for an Oct. 5, 2018 release.
See how Hardy is getting it done in the training featurette (we’ll see if it ever comes back):
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pVeL1eBIQpA
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!
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