Tom Hardy has set up a quiet life with his wife Charlotte Riley and their two children near London, where they are thought to have relocated from a £3.5 million home in the leafy borough of Richmond to the Surrey countryside.
With his career taking off and Hollywood calling, The Dark Knight Rises actor addressed why he didn't want to relocate to the United States. He noted that his eldest son, Louis, whom he shares with casting director Rachael Speed, was his priority, stating it was "criminal" to consider moving away from him.
"My son lives in London with his mother, and I need that contact with him. It’s so important to me. Any time away from him is just criminal. Also, I am a Londoner forever.
"I’m never moving until my boy is old enough to move with me if he wants to," Tom told Cosmopolitan in 2018, when Louis was 10.
Quiet country life
© Dave Benett/Getty ImagesThey may not have plans to move overseas, but the family are open to upping sticks in to different parts of the UK. According to a report in The Sun, the actors left Richmond behind due to an incident with an alleged stalker.
Speaking of his quiet life in Surrey, which could have impacted his career, Tom insisted that relocating and prioritising his family life was "the best [decision] they ever made".
© Getty"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," the actor explained in an interview with Esquire.
"If you've got a roof over your head and a bed underneath you and food in the fridge, how much is enough? Because it's not a dress rehearsal, life, is it? It's going out live. This is one-time."
Honest bond
© Mike Marsland/WireImageTom is a doting father to three children, whom he tends to keep out of the spotlight. However, he made a rare comment about fatherhood during an interview with HELLO! while Charlotte was pregnant with their eldest child.
Reiterating his changing priorities as a father, Tom said: "Being a father has given me the kind of purpose that makes you think more carefully about how you live your life. 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."
Now that Louis is grown up, he has developed a close bond with his father and is not afraid to give his dad some advice about his big screen projects. The Legend actor told E! News in 2024: "I mean, he wouldn't ever tell me [if he likes it]. He's 16, you know what I mean? [But] he tells me what I'm getting right or wrong."
© ITV/ShutterstockPraising Louis' constructive criticism, he added: "The next gen - the 2.0 - is designed to be better than you. But that doesn't mean he doesn't back me or support me or look out for me, and he offers information that's useful to be better with what I do.
"It comes from a position of like, 'Look, you know this'. He deconstructs what I'm doing like a peer would."
