‘The Revenant’ Star Tom Hardy Talks Leaving ‘Suicide Squad’ — “I Hate F***ing Losing Work”

Although Tom Hardy was forced to drop out of Suicide Squad due to scheduling conflicts, the actor managed to make the best of the situation. In fact, in an interview with Variety, Hardy revealed how much he hated to lose the part in David Ayers’ film, but how he used the experience as motivation for his upcoming role in The Revenant.

According to Den of Geek, Hardy is set to play the part of John Fitzgerald in The Revenant. The movie centers on the true story of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), who was viciously mauled by a grizzly bear and left for dead by his partner, played by Hardy. The movie is based on the 2002 book by Michael Punke of the same name.

The film was largely produced in the snowy landscapes of Alberta, Canada and suffered from multiple weather related setbacks. These delays in filming ultimately bled into Hardy’s scheduled work on Suicide Squad, which he was subsequently forced to back out of.

In speaking about leaving Suicide Squad, Hardy revealed that is was a difficult thing to have to do, especially considering the money he was losing by not being a part of the hit Warner Bros. movie.

“It punched right into that, yeah. That got derailed for me. Was I bummed? Of course I was. I hate fucking losing work,” Hardy explained in the interview. “I kept bemoaning that they were losing me significant money on a daily basis.”

Despite losing money by not being involved in Suicide Squad, Tom Hardy used his anger as motivation for his character in The Revenant. “Actually, it was good for my character,” he stated.

In addition to the difficulties of filming, Hardy also discussed how he was forced to confront his fear of horses in the new movie. Apparently, Hardy’s biggest fear centers on the chances of being kicked by the large animal. In fact, Hardy prefers to be around dogs, who don’t have the same kind of power in the hindquarters.

“I don’t like horses. They scare me. There’s not a call for it in London — not since the 1800s. We are used to getting on the bus or the tube. I prefer dogs; they are a bit more manageable,” he shared.

“I think horses are beautiful, but I didn’t know any growing up. It’s quite alien. They are so big and muscular. If they sat on me or kicked me, that would be it — wouldn’t it? You always hear about people walking around the back of a horse and getting kicked. I always think if anyone is going to get kicked by a horse walking around the back of it, it’s most likely going to be me.”

Although Hardy clearly holds a fear of horses, he admitted that riding them is just something he had to get used to, especially with all of the roles he has recently taken. “Yeah, I get on a horse. And now I’m doing a TV series that I’m riding a horse quite a lot. It’s just the way it is,” Hardy said. “I wouldn’t tell you I ride horses. It’s something I’ve got to learn.”

As far as his part in Suicide Squad is concerned, Hardy was supposed to play the role of Rick Flag. Instead, fans of the villainous group of heroes will have to settle with Joel Kinnaman, who also appeared in the 2014 reboot of the Robocop franchise.

A Hardy-less Suicide Squad is set to open in theaters on August 5, 2016, while Hardy’s newest movie, The Revenant, is set to premiere in theaters on January 8, 2016.

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[Image via New Regency Pictures]