Tom Hardy Is A Legend. Literally

There are many reasons we love Tom Hardy. His surprisingly adorable crying face (see above)... those blue eyes... his ability to bring humanity to some of film - and life's - great "baddies"... But a huge part of why we love him is because the man just LOVES dogs.

Like Simon Cowell going gooey over singing pugs and collies that walk tightropes, Tom often hits the red carpet with a canine companion.

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And it was an enthusiastic Woody the Lab-cross who stole the show at a preview of Tom's upcoming Krays biopic, as if we weren't already swooning enough.

Introducing "Legend", Tom revealed how playing both Ronnie and Reggie was his biggest challenge to date.

"The hardest thing I've tried to do in my career is try to pull off a couple of characters in the same film," he laughs. "It was exciting as an experiment - and obviously a huge risk."

It IS mildly disconcerting to see two times Tom on screen, basically watching him talk to himself, so it must all be down to the sort of wizardry you see in Lord Of The Rings etc, right? Well, no.

"We didn't have the time or facilities for CGI, so everything you see is as it was [shot]," he says. "It was an amazing acrobatic performance."

It's also one that shows how versatile this man is - switching between the repressed, constantly simmering violence of Ronnie and the more charismatic Reggie makes the film all the more absorbing.

Bronson, Bane, Max - Tom's carved a career out of flawed, even psychotic, characters, finding vulnerability, depth and even humour.

While we can't say too much about "Legend" yet, it's surprisingly funny, even romantic, for a film about gangsters.

"What this is, is a really beautiful piece of writing, it's a special piece for me and all involved," says Tom. "A lot of love and passion went into making it - we really care about it."

And how did Woody prepare for his role?

"We had a seven-week shoot - he didn't read the script, but he worked out... That's kind of how we roll," Tom laughs before disappearing, leaving us all won over before - and after - watching the film.

**Legend is in cinemas from 9 September **

Dog that looks like teddy bear: