Anatomy of a Scene's Manatomy: 'Bronson' Makes Tom Hardy and His Uncut Cock a Star

Throughout cinema history, there have been some iconic nude scenes that have transcended the bounds of the films in which they appeared. Our weekly column Anatomy of a Scene's Manatomy will take an in-depth look at these scenes, their history, their deeper meanings, and their legacy. This week, Tom Hardy puts himself firmly on the map with a balls-to-the-wall nude performance in Bronson!

Tom Hardy had a bumpy road to stardom, playing small but forgettable roles in Black Hawk Down and Band of Brothers, and large but unmemorable roles in totally forgettable films like Star Trek Nemesis. All of that changed with 2008's Bronson, however, as he transformed himself into an unforgettable and towering presence in the film world. Rather than sink into obscurity by never really standing out, Hardy took his career in a new direction beginning with this film, ensuring that his bold choices as an actor would burn his image into audience's minds. In short, no one would ever forget who Tom Hardy was ever again.

Director Nicolas Winding Refn had made a name for himself in his native Denmark with the Pusher trilogy, which pushed the boundaries of the medium both visually and in terms of shocking content. When Refn came upon a script by Brock Norman Brock about the notorious British criminal Charles Bronson, it seemed like a perfect story for him to tell. Bronson—cribbing his name from the real life actor—is a habitual criminal and violent offender who, despite never having murdered anyone, is currently serving life imprisonment. While he is a well-known figure in the UK, he attained international notoriety for creating surrealist works of art using what limited paint supplies he could procure in prison.

This was truly the perfect breakout role for Hardy, who was willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve Bronson's muscular physique. According to legend, Bronson does 25,000 push-ups a day, and though Hardy didn't go to quite such insane lengths, he put on a lot of bulk to better physically portray the prisoner. Hardy paid frequent visits to Bronson in prison to get a better sense of his voice and mannerisms, eventually winning over the reluctant Bronson, with the two also developing a friendship out of the deal. For his part, upon finally seeing the film in 2011, Bronson quipped that "If I were to die in jail then at least I live on through Britain's number one actor."

In rewriting Brock's script, Refn created a visual motif wherein Bronson delivers soliloquies on a Vaudeville-esque stage, welcoming the audience inside of his mind, and demonstrating the artist trying to escape from the clutches of a violent sociopath. In addition to these interludes, the film presents a series of chronological vignettes from Bronson's life as he goes from prison to a psychiatric hospital, back to the streets, and eventually back to prison. The film's most memorable scene centers around a real life incident in prison in which Bronson took a prison librarian hostage.

In the film, Bronson locks himself and the librarian into his cell and strips nude. He then begins applying vaseline he had stashed under his pillow all over his naked body, eventually handing it to librarian and ordering him to grease the parts he can't reach. Guards assemble and bust into the cell, attempting to subdue Bronson, but he's so greased up that they can't get a handle on him...

Sadly, audiences didn't flock to see Bronson which, at its widest release in North America, played on only ten screens. However, people in the industry took note of Hardy, particularly Christopher Nolan, who cast the actor in a very memorable role in his 2010 film Inception. When that film became a phenomenon and people became interested in Hardy again, they eventually made their way to Bronson, which helped raise the film's profile significantly. It wasn't long before everyone wanted to be in the Tom Hardy business and the rest, as they say, is history.

Hardy has since gone on to corner the market on characters who grunt, murmur, fidget, and sputter all over the screen. He's become a world-class mumbler, who has turned mush-mouth acting into an art form. He's also known for his insane dedication to his physical appearance on film, gaining and losing both weight and muscle mass is sort of his stock in trade as well. What never ceases to be fascinating about Bronson, however, is how he combined all of this things into one role long before anyone really knew who he was. The fact is that he knew who he was and laid it all on the line, literally and figuratively.

Catch up with our other editions of Anatomy of a Scene's Manatomy...

Two of History's Manliest Men Wrestle Naked in Women in Love

Ewan McGregor Has Got It, Flaunts It in Velvet Goldmine

A Pair of Stars are Born in Y Tu Mamá También

Harvey Keitel Goes Hog Wild in Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant

Viggo Mortensen is Naked From Every Imaginable Angle in Eastern Promises

There's No Shame is Michael Fassbender's Dick Game

Kevin Bacon Steals the Show Going Full Frontal in Wild Things

How We Met Jason Segel's Dick in Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Jack Reynor is Uniquely Vulnerable for a Man in Midsommar

Jaye Davidson Knows All There is to Know About The Crying Game

David Bowie Battles Rip Torn for Dick Supremacy in The Man Who Fell to Earth

Al Pacino Doesn't Get In All That Deep for William Friedkin's Cruising

John Cameron Mitchell's Ass Gives Hedwig and the Angry Inch the Perfect Ending

Ross Lynch Makes One Sexy Future Serial Killer in My Friend Dahmer

Rocketman Not-So-Boldly Goes Where Bohemian Rhapsody Refused

Color of Night Brings Us the Return of Bruno's Dick

Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu Get Serviced in Bertolucci's 1900

Future Oscar Winner Mark Rylance Gets Real and Really Nude in Intimacy

Louis Garrel Lets It All Hang Out in the French New Wave Biopic Godard Mon Amour