Busta Rhymes, Method Man & Redman Inspired Tom Hardy's 'Venom' Voice

Tom Hardy’s love of Hip Hop is no secret, so it’s no wonder his Venom voice is inspired by some of the genre’s greatest emcees. Following Venom: Let There Be Carnage hitting theaters earlier this month, the British actor told BBC Radio 1 the recipe behind the Marvel character’s voice — drawing inspiration from the likes of Busta Rhymes, Method Man and Redman.

“So I mix a little bit of Busta Rhymes, a little bit of Method [Man] and Redman, a little bit of James Brown, and ever so slightly an element of Richard Burton,” he revealed.

He also admitted he sometimes mixes up Venom’s voice with Bane from 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises.

“I think that’s an occupational hazard,” he said. “You know, there are only a few characters that we have and we will smear between them all. As Alfie [from Peaky Blinders] comes out, it’s inevitable.”

During a 2018 interview, Tom Hardy said the dual roles of Eddie Brock and Venom reminded him of actor/director Woody Allen, UFC star Conor McGregor and Redman.

“Woody Allen’s tortured neurosis and all the humor that can come from that,” he said. “Conor McGregor — the überviolence but not all the talking. And Redman – out of control, living rent-free in his head.”

Before becoming a star in the acting world, Tom Hardy used to rap under the name Tommy No 1. Alongside writer and director Ed Tracy, he recorded an album titled Falling on Your Arse in 1999.

In an old YouTube video, Hardy can also be seen beatboxing and rapping lyrics from KRS-One’s 1994 track “Hip Hop vs. Rap” with his son strapped to his chest.

Aside from ’90’s Hip Hop, Tom Hardy also appears to be a fan of the current rap generation. In a January 2016 interview with Leonardo DiCaprio, he revealed there was a Bobby Shmurda lyric in the Oscar-winning film The Revenant, but it didn’t make the final cut.

The line was “Shut your trap house,” which references the Brooklyn rapper’s hit single, “Hot N-gga.”

Just a reminder that somewhere out there is footage of Leo and Tom Hardy referencing Bobby Shmurda while filming a scene in 'The Revenant' pic.twitter.com/NSNw885fJd

— Pigeons & Planes (@PigsAndPlans) August 12, 2020