Tom Hardy has shielded his rugged mug with masks or beards in a few films lately, including in The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dark Knight Rises and most recently, in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk.
In the World War Two flick, Hardy plays British Air Force pilot, who spends virtually the entire time with an oxygen mask covering a third of his face.
While he might just enjoy picking roles that hide his face, Nolan has revealed that he actually prefers covering Hardy's face, telling the Press Association: "I was pretty thrilled with what he did in The Dark Knight Rises with two eyes and couple of eyebrows and a bit of forehead so I thought let's see what he can do with no forehead, no real eyebrows, maybe one eye.
"Of course, Tom, being Tom, what he does with single eye acting is far beyond what anyone else can do with their whole body, that is just the unique talent of the man, he's extraordinary."
Credit: Dunkirk/Warner Bros. Pictures
But Tom wasn't only restricted by the lack of his face being shown, for almost the entire time he was on screen, he didn't move because he was always in his Spitfire.
The director has also revealed that Tom was the only actor in Dunkirk whom he was dying to have included in the project. He's told USA Today: "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.
"It's all there, he has the most expressive eyes. He can pull the audience into the moment in an amazing way even with most of his face covered."
And it appears Hardy's inclusion in the movie was a big win, with critics praising him for delivering an excellent performance without using much of his face or body.
The Telegraph's Fiona Whitehead says: "Hardy, who spends almost the entire film behind a flight helmet, has only his eyes and eyebrows to work with, and of course they're more than enough."
While Todd McCarthy wrote for the Hollywood Reporter: "Hardy probably has a half-dozen lines in the whole picture and, given his mask, does most of his acting with his eyes, something at which he's become very good indeed."
It was also revealed that Michael Caine made a brief cameo in Dunkirk, playing the commander Tom Hardy speaks to in the Spitfire.
Advert
Nolan thought the cameo would have been picked up by more people, telling NJ: "It's shocking to me that a lot of people haven't [noticed Caine] when he has really one of the most distinctive voices in cinema.
"I wanted very much to squeeze him in here. It's a bit of a nod to his character in Battle of Britain. And also, it's Michael. He has to be in all my films, after all."
Featured Image Credit: PA