For one of the most sought-after actors of his generation,Tom Hardyis apparently one of the hardest for Americans to understand, according to a new poll. The actor, who has appeared in blockbusters likeThe Dark Knight Rises, Mad Max: Fury Roadand plays Eddie Brock/Venom in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe movies, topped the poll conducted by Preply (viaThe Wrap), beating out a number of other British stars such as Sean Connery, Benedict Cumberbatch, James McAvoy and Idris Elba, as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Sofia Vergara.
The poll’s details came to light as it was revealed that half of the American viewing audience struggle to understand world accents and prefer to use subtitles or closed captions, with various British dialects causing the greatest issue. When it came to specific stars who cause issues for Americans, Hardy’s choice of often playing characters with thick accents or having his dialogue stifled in some way, such as when playing the almost incomprehensible Bane inThe Dark Knight Rises.
Another role of Hardy that has caused issues was his strong Irish accent inPeaky Blinders, a series that also took the honor of being the hardest series to understand in the poll. Other shows that caused viewers to switch on subtitles areDerry Girls, Doctor Who, Skins,Downton AbbeyandBridgerton,proving once again that there is just something that American viewers struggle with when it comes to British accents.
The same survey, which used a sample of 1200 viewers, also revealed that subtitles are even more popular amongst Gen Z viewers than those of Gen Z and Boomers, with 70% of the Gen Z demographic using subtitles. Of course, with many non-English language shows, such as Scandinavian offerings likeThe BridgeandThe Killingand Korean shows likeSquid Game, becoming popular on streaming platforms, there are many more reasons to use subtitles now than ever before.
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Tom Hardy Will Soon Return as Venom
While subtitles are all well and good in the comfort of the home, when heading to the cinema, it is not readily an option, and U.S. audiences will once again have to work their way through Hardy’s dialogue when he returns as Eddie Brock inVenom 3in the not too distant future. Having been the most financially successful Sony Spider-Man-related movies outside those featuring the web-slinger himself, the future of Venom beyond his third movie is unclear, with the connected universe that also includesMorbiusand the upcomingKraven the HunterandMadame Webcurrently struggling to take shape.
Hardy is also currently expected to reprise his role of Max in aMad Max: Fury Roadprequel sometime in the future, as well as potentially appearing in theFuriosamovie as well. For those who want more challengingPeaky Blindersdialogue to contend with, Hardy is likely to also be back in the role of Alfie Solomons in the movie follow-up to the series, which came to an end recently after its sixth season.
