Tom Hardy has revealed his inspiration for his character’s voice for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ was an Irish traveler.



Due to open this coming weekend, Hardy plays the role of Batman’s evil villain Bane, who wants to destroy Gotham City, in the blockbuster directed by Christopher Nolan.



When asked who inspired villain’s voice, Hardy named Bartley Gorman, a Traveller who called himself the “king of the gypsies”.



The British actor told New York Magazine: “It’s based on a guy named Bartley Gorman. He’s the king of the gypsies, and he’s a boxer, a bare-knuckle boxer, an Irish traveller.”



Although he lived in the UK, Gorman’s mother was Irish.



In the movie Bane gets his strength from a drug that he continually inhales from a mask that covers his face. Critics had blasted Bane’s voice as difficult to understand but Hardy remains confident.



“I'm not worried at all about people understanding him mumbling away. But I have seen some brilliant stuff online about [my mumbling] 'Mmmm ... Batman doesn't beat up retards!,' which I thought was very funny. I enjoyed that."

Listen to Gorman’s accent below from the 1995 documentary.

The Dark Knight Rises Official Movie Trailer Christian Bale, Batman