Dead to Me star Linda Cardellini admits she was "terrified" about slapping Tom Hardy in Capone
Dead to Me star Linda Cardellini has opened up about working with Tom Hardy on new film Capone, admitting that she was "terrified" when the script called for her to slap her co-star.
Tom Hardy is best known for his roles in Peaky Blinders, Legend and Venom, and in Josh Trank's latest film Capone – previously known as Fonzo – he plays notorious gangster Al Capone, while Linda takes on the role of his wife, Mae.
The film was released straight to streaming in the US earlier this month, and at one point the movie features a huge confrontation scene that called for Mae to slap Al twice – something Tom urged Linda to really embrace during filming.
Related: Capone first reviews mainly focus on Tom Hardy wearing a diaper in gangster movie
"I was terrified," Linda recently admitted to The Hollywood Reporter.
"I did not want to smack him hard, but he said, 'Go for it', so I did. It was a pretty nasty slap, and we had to do it several times. I really let him have it, and after each take, I would just look at him, and my heart would sink.
"I would say, 'Are you OK?' But, you know, he's strong."
Linda continued to add that it was "wonderful" to work with Tom Hardy on a scene like that, saying that she thinks he's one of the "greatest" actors working right now.
CAPONE! 🐥 Tuesday! @lindacardellini @tomhardy
A post shared by Josh Trank (@joshuatrank) on May 10, 2020 at 7:22am PDT
"The thing that I found about working with Tom is that it was very cooperative, and it was a very open process. It was so fascinating to watch him work and work with him because I think he's just one of the greatest," she continued.
"It was wonderful to go head-to-head with him like that, especially in those characters. And when she finally gets to unleash and smack him and let it out for a second, which she immediately regrets, it felt really good."
"In that scene, Tom gave everything to me," she added. "He let me hit him as hard as I wanted and wail at him as long as I wanted. It was a wonderful back and forth, and I loved working with him."
Related: Dead to Me boss breaks down cliffhanger ending and season 3 hopes
As well as Capone, Linda currently features in Netflix hit Dead to Me's second season, returning alongside original series cast members Christina Applegate and James Marsden.
Capone is available to buy and rent now on streaming services in the US. It has yet to confirm a UK release date.
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