Why Christopher Nolan 'begged' Tom Hardy to star in 'Dunkirk'

Writer/director Christopher Nolan didn't write the part of the impossibly unflappable Spitfire pilot Farrier in Dunkirk with one actor in mind.

But once Nolan had written it, he knew there could only be one actor to play Farrier for the action thriller in theaters now: Tom Hardy.

"I don’t write with actors in mind, because I think that somewhat does them a disservice," says Nolan. "But once it was done, I could only see Tom in it. So I called him and begged... in a dignified manner."

Nolan knew that Hardy would make the most of the part with few words or physical movement while in the Spitfire cockpit — engaged in dogfights with German Messerschmitt Bf 109 planes during the Battle of Dunkirk.

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"We’re in that cockpit with him for the entire film. So it’s about wiping the sweat out of his eyes or whatever, it’s very small scale. There's two feet right around him. I knew (Hardy) would be interested in that," says Nolan. "It’s rare to find that and embrace that restriction. By tying his arm around his back and making him do something different, I knew he would have something amazing to bring to that." 

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Nolan pointed to the performance in the 2014 film Locke, which featured Hardy's character shot entirely in the driver's seat of a car talking on his mobile phone, as an example of the actor's ability to master a small space.

Farrier also has a pilot oxygen mask around his mouth for much of the film, leaving the viewer's attention on Hardy's fully expressive eyes — much like Hardy's villainous Bane in Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises.

"I’ve had great experience hiding Tom behind masks and showing that he can act with only his eyes," says Nolan. "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."

Nolan says Hardy was "terrific," which is backed up by a chorus of glowing reviews and early Oscar discussion for Hardy's role.

Major bonus: The role of a Spitfire pilot is on the bucket list for many British actors.

"I don’t know how much he’d admit to it, but for every British guy, playing a Spitfire pilot, that’s pretty’s exciting," says Nolan.

For more on Dunkirk, check out USA TODAY's Straight Up Hollywood podcast.