As one of the most formidable director/actor partnerships in Hollywood, you'd think that all it would take for Christopher Nolan to get Tom Hardy on board for a film is a simple phone call, but apparently it's a bit more complex than that... especially when it came to Hardy's role in Dunkirk.

Having written the part for the film's silent Spitfire hero who guards the grey skies of France from Nazi attacks, Nolan only had one man in mind for the role.

In an interview with USA Today, Nolan said: "I don't write with actors in mind, because I think that somewhat does them a disservice. But once it was done, I could only see Tom in it. So I called him and begged... in a dignified manner."

Of course, Chris.

The kind of actor who can turn a long drive down the M40 into a captivating character study (Locke, 2013), Hardy is at his best when working in a restricted environment. Whether it be behind a mask or the in the tiny cockpit of a makeshift war plane... or both, as is the case with Dunkirk.

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"We're in that cockpit with him for the entire film. So it's about wiping the sweat out of his eyes or whatever, it's very small scale. There's two feet right around him. I knew he would be interested in that," Nolan continued. "It's rare to find that and embrace that restriction. By tying his arm around his back and making him do something different, I knew he would have something amazing to bring to that."

As expected, Hardy is indeed amazing in the role.

Thanks for begging, Chris.

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