Patrick Stewart Calls Out Tom Hardy's Behavior While Filming Star Trek: Nemesis

Patrick Stewart may be happy for Tom Hardy's success now, but there was a time when the legendary Star Trek icon didn't think the younger actor was going to make it — and even noted Hardy's odd behavior during the filming of Star Trek: Nemesis. In his new memoir, Making It So, the Captain Jean-Luc Picard actor looked back on making 2002's Nemesis and not only did Stewart call the film "particularly weak" but he had some interesting comments about Hardy, who played the film's villain Shinzon, as well.

"I didn't have a single exciting scene to play, and the actor who portrayed the movie's villain, Shinzon, was an odd, solitary young man from London. HIs name was Tom Hardy," Stewart said (via Variety).

He continued, "Tom wouldn't engage with any of us on a social level. Never said, 'Good morning,' never said, 'Goodnight,' and spent the hours he wasn't needed on set in his trailer with his girlfriend…He was by no means hostile — it was just challenging to establish any rapport with him. On the evening Tom wrapped his role, he characteristically left without ceremony or niceties, simply walking out of the door. As it closed, I said quietly to Brent [Spiner] and Jonathan [Frakes], 'And there goes something I think we shall never hear of again' It gives me nothing but pleasure that Tom has proven me so wrong."

Hardy did indeed prove Stewart wrong. Nemesis was Hardy's third feature film, but the actor went on to appear in a number of other films before having major success with The Dark Knight Rises, Inception and then in the Venom franchise. Hardy has himself also previously said that, when it comes to Star Trek: Nemesis, he was "terrified" of working on the film.

"Every day on that set, I was terrified — which worked for the character anyway," he said at the time. "You can't hide that, the camera will pick it up. I was genuinely out of my depth. The whole thing was, 'How can I do this?' I took it very seriously."

Patrick Stewart Still Wants a Picard Movie

While Star Trek: Picard is done as a television show, Stewart has also said that he would like to return as the character for a Star Trek: Picard movie. The actor has previously pushed for a final movie, one that would star the Next Gen cast one more time.

As part of the Star Trek: Picard Emmy Awards consideration campaign, Patrick Stewart spoke to IndieWire and made his case for a Star Trek: Picard movie. "I think we could do a movie, a Picard-based movie. Now not necessarily at all about Picard but about all of us," Stewart said. "And to take many of those wonderful elements, particularly from Season 3 of Picard, and take out of that what I think could be an extraordinary movie. I keep telling people and mentioning it, and so far there's been no eager response, but it might well happen. And that would be I think a very appropriate way to say, 'And goodbye folks.'"