Everything He’s Said About Fatherhood

British actor Tom Hardy may be best known for hit TV shows and movies such as Peaky Blinders, Venom and Inception, but his biggest role is being a proud father to three kids.

He welcomed his first child in 2008 — a son named Louis Thomas — with his then-girlfriend, casting director Rachael Speed. In 2014, he married actress Charlotte Riley, and the couple now share two children. Their first baby was born in October 2015 and their second followed in January 2019.

Although the Dunkirk actor opts to keep his children out of the spotlight, he often speaks about fatherhood during interviews and appearances.

Hardy told Esquire in 2018 that giving his kids a better childhood than he had in East London was his parenting priority. “In trying to protect my children, I’ll probably give them their own dose of problems,” he said. “But I don’t want them to go through what I went through.”

Here’s everything Tom Hardy has said about his three kids and fatherhood.

He has said that there is no harder job than parenting

Hardy is used to working long days on film and TV sets around the world, but the Wuthering Heights star believes that being a parent is the most difficult role.

“There is no harder and more important job on the planet than parenting,” he said in a 2018 cover story for Esquire. “You’ve got the military, police, doctors, service personnel — massive respect, huge consequences — but parenting? It’s beyond a job, isn’t it.”

The birth of his son Louis helped Hardy in his journey to sobriety

Hardy has been open about his past struggles with alcohol and substance abuse, and he revealed that becoming a father helped him to get sober.

“It’s the best thing I could have wished for. I was very self-indulgent for a long time and I was only thinking about my own stupid stuff and myself,” he told Hello! magazine. “Having a child lifts you out of that selfish behavior.”

He added, “I take great pride in being a father and make sure I’m there for him and helping him as he makes his way in the world.”

Louis gave his dad feedback while Hardy was filming Venom

The eldest of Hardy’s three children was heavily involved in crafting his portrayal of the anti-hero in the Venom franchise.

“He was pretty much in the driving seat for a lot of it, and I did use him as my anthology and my mythology wizard,” the actor told Entertainment Tonight in 2018. “He told me what I was doing wrong, and I was doing more things wrong than I was doing right because children are deeply honest. He was my little spirit guide in that aspect.”

Hardy also shared that getting Louis’ stamp of approval was the most important part of the process. “As far as I’m concerned, I passed his [test], and that’s the best I can do,” he concluded.

Hardy has said that Louis is his toughest critic

In June 2024, Hardy shared that Louis is very invested in his dad’s career.

“He’s 16, you know what I mean? He told me what I’m getting right or wrong,” Hardy told E! News. “But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t back me or support me or look out for me and offer information that’s useful in order to be better with what I do.”

The actor continued, describing his son’s critiques, “It comes from a position of like, ‘Look, you know this.’ He deconstructs what I’m doing like a peer would.”

Sleep deprivation was the hardest part of welcoming children for Hardy

In a 2016 interview with Esquire UK, the actor got candid about life with a newborn. Namely, the sleep deprivation that comes with it.

Just after his middle child was born, he began filming the eight-part miniseries Taboo, which he created alongside his dad, Chips Hardy.

“If anyone else did that to you, you’d have them up at the Hague for war crimes,” he joked about the amount of times his newborn woke him up.

Hardy has said that his children give him “less reason to work”

The Oscar nominee has said that being a father encourages him to spend more time at home.

“I think there’s less reason to work, ultimately, because the life-drive is to be with the kids and to be fit and healthy and eat well and stuff,” Hardy told Esquire UK in 2021.

The actor also shared about how his children help him be more grateful. “If you’ve got a roof over your head and a bed underneath you and food in the fridge, how much is enough?” Hardy said. “Because it’s not a dress rehearsal, life, is it? It’s going out live. This is one-time.”