‘Venom’ Star Tom Hardy Says Conor McGregor Inspired His Character in Upcoming Marvel Movie

Tom Hardy says Conor McGregor gave him inspiration for ‘Venom’.

Veteran actor Tom Hardy is no stranger to playing some intense characters on the big screen. His latest role as Eddie Brock in the upcoming movie ‘Venom’ sees Hardy playing the titular character also known as Eddie Brock.


Every actor gets prepared for a role differently. Some do an extensive amount of research into the character they’re playing. Sometimes actors go so far as to take liberties, hoping to enhance their performance in some way. Tom Hardy is definitely a man who likes to do his research before taking on a character.

As he prepared for his role to take on the popular Marvel Comics character, Tom Hardy looked to an unlikely source of inspiration in MMA star Conor McGregor.

Conor McGregor is set to do battle on October 6 at UFC 229 against UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Leading up to the bout, McGregor has once again showcased his wild and brash personality, something that Tom Hardy studied to prepare him for his role as Eddie Brock.

In an interview with RTÉ Entertainment, Tom Hardy went on to explain how Conor McGregor played a part in helping him for his role.

“It was not Venom: he was not based on him. There were more elements of Eddie Brock which needed to be pinned on somebody who’s incredibly handy physically. And, obviously, Conor is incredibly handy physically.

“There was an aspect the studio wanted somebody who could fight, which they always do in these sort of hero movies. They want somebody who can have a scrap. Conor obviously wants to have a scrap with everybody, so that’s useful.”

‘Venom’ is set to hit theaters on October 5 while UFC 229 Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor airs the next day on Saturday October 6 only on PPV.

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Managing Editor at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his InstagramTwitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

Jonathan Salmon
Managing editor of Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. He has been writing about bodybuilding, combat sports, and strength sports for over 8 years. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.