Dame Helen Mirren has categorically ruled out a feud with MobLand co-star Tom Hardy after claims he was fired from the show after clashing with producers and leaving the Oscar winner waiting to film.
But she suggested the actor approaches work in a way others aren’t particularly used to, declaring: “As long as what’s on the screen is fantastic, I’m totally chilled with whatever, however anyone gets there.”
News broke last month that Hardy, 48, was axed from the British crime drama after wrapping production on season two, with several outlets reporting the decision stemmed from repeated run-ins with people behind the scenes.
According to an unnamed source who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, the British actor “refused to come out of his trailer for hours at a time” and kept Mirren, 80, and co-star Pierce Brosnan, 73, waiting “for hours”.
However, Mirren has said she would work with Hardy again in “a heartbeat” and notched down any clashes to a clash of styles.
“Different actors have different processes – I’ve learned over the years that some people get things fast and other people took time,” she said at the Taormina Film Festival, according to Deadline.
“I love Tom – I think he’s the most amazing actor. I’ve always loved him on screen,” she said, calling him “a very special person” with “the kindest heart”. Mirren added: “I think he’s absolutely remarkable. So my support of him is genuine and heartfelt.”
The Oscar-winning star of The Queen also shared support for the show’s “fantastic” writer, Jez Butterworth, who is one of the figures rumoured to have clashed with Hardy.
Despite initial reports claiming Hardy had been dropped from the show, a source close to production told Variety in May: “Tom was not fired, the door is not closed for season three, and things are being worked through creatively.”
The outlet added that while there was indeed behind-the-scenes tension between Hardy and producers Butterworth and David Glasser, they are actively trying to resolve all creative differences.
Mirren said: “When you have these sort of very powerful artistic people working together, the creative process is very challenging and people can get their knickers in a twist, as we say. But yes, we will go forward, absolutely, and it’ll be even better.”
Mobland debuted on Paramount+ in 2025 and follows two rival mob families as they battle to protect their own empires.
Hardy infamously feuded with Charlize Theron on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015.
The two actors starred in the action movie together, with Theron later claiming that the pair “f***in’ went at it” during filming.
In the 2022 book, Blood, Sweat, and Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road, the film’s camera operator, Mark Goellnicht, recalled that the boiling point came when Hardy arrived on set three hours late, despite knowing that Theron had arrived early.
Once he arrived, Theron repeatedly swore at the actor, which prompted him to “charge up to her,” Goellnicht claimed, adding that Theron had shouted: “Fine the f***ing c*** a hundred thousand dollars for every minute that he’s held up this crew.”
Hardy addressed his tense relationship with Theron in 2020, stating: “I think in hindsight, I was in over my head in many ways. The pressure on both of us was overwhelming at times.
“What she needed was a better, perhaps more experienced, partner in me. That’s something that can’t be faked. I’d like to think that now that I’m older and uglier, I could rise to that occasion.”
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