Inspired by the lives of twin British gangsters Reggie and Ron Kray who ruled London's East End crime world in the 1960's, Legend is a psychodrama associated with intense kingpin violence. 38-year-old British actor Tom Hardy, who played the role of the Kray twins, felt a bit schizophrenic throughout the whole filming time, saying that it seemed like he actually had a split personality.
He even made a reference to Sally Field's celebrated performance as a character with multiple personalities, stating that it was like being a 'male Sybil'. Hardy once told an interviewer that he is as masculine as an eggplant, in which he actually proves by admitting that his characters frighten him, too, but he just can't stay away.
26-year-old Australian actress Emily Browning, known for her roles in Sucker Punch,Sleeping Beauty and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and portrays Frances Shea, tells Entertainment Weekly that it was like working with two different actors in Hardy's Legend double role.
"I think it was definitely a challenge technically to film Tom as both of these characters, and I'm sure it was a massive challenge for him to get into that headspace of two different people," Browning stated. "But for me, at least logistically, it really wasn't a challenge at all, and I think that's a testament to what an amazing job Tom did playing both of these characters. It was honestly like working with two different actors."
Would this finally be Hardy's major breakout performance? Some believe that it was his role as Bane in the Dark Knight Rises, some say Bronson, even Inception. But Hardy's treatment to his role in Legend is pretty ground breaking.
Despite Kray being identical twins, director Brian Helgeland aims that the audience would find it a bit of a challenge to believe that it is actually just Hardy playing both Reggie and Ronnie.
