Tom Hardy: One Stunt Oscar for Venom Not Sufficient

In a significant move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the introduction of an Oscar for Stunt Design, set to debut at the 2028 Academy Awards. This decision, coming after a century of cinematic history, marks a pivotal recognition of the stunt community's contributions to film. However, actor Tom Hardy, speaking to IGN ahead of his new film Havoc, has expressed that while the introduction of this award is a step in the right direction, it may not be sufficient to fully honor the diverse and demanding nature of stunt work.

"One Oscar, it's a bit too little too late in some aspects," Hardy remarked. "It's good, it's great and cup half full territory, but I think perhaps more is asked for." The actor, known for his roles in Venom and Mad Max: Fury Road, elaborated on the complexity of stunt work, suggesting that a single category does not do justice to the various elements involved. "It's not enough just stunt design because there are so many elements that go into stunts as a department," he said. "The design element is like an umbrella for a diaspora of different groups within that world that all need to be illuminated, and understood, quite how hard they work."

Hardy emphasized the breadth of stunt work, from horseback riding and car chases to high falls, fire stunts, fight choreography, underwater sequences, and skydiving. "That entire universe of people is unsung, and they put a lot on the line for that physically, and they're largely unspoken, but they do really put the thrill into film and TV," he added. "I've got a lot of friends in that world, so yeah, I'd like to see some subcategories in there as well."

Gareth Evans, the director of Havoc and known for his work on The Raid films, supports Hardy's view. "Subcategories would be nice," Evans stated. He stressed, however, that the motivation behind awards should not be the driving force for the craft. "I don't think awards drive the craft. I think that's the wrong reason to do it. I think it's all about expressing yourself within the parameters of what the film is that you're making. I think it's about time that it got rewarded, about time that it had some recognition, and hard to understand why it wasn't from the get-go really."

While the film industry awaits the 2028 Oscars to see the first Stunt Design award presented, audiences won't have to wait as long to see Tom Hardy's latest project. Havoc, directed by Gareth Evans, will be available on Netflix starting this Friday, April 25th.