For years, actor Tom Hardy has supported awesome women in action movies. Thanks, Mad Max.

Tumblr user queenofthenorths took a moment from the “Mad Max: Fury Road” press conference and sent it back in time in The. Best. Way. Ever.

Once upon a time, big-time action movie star Tom Hardy predicted his own action movie future.

He’s the star of the new “masculine” action film “Mad Max: Fury Road.” It’s wildly passing the Bechdel test, which challenges films to show women having conversations about something OTHER than the leading man. (And *gasp* somehow it still managed to have a massively successful $45 million opening weekend.)

It’s getting some buzz.


Tom’s been hoping to stand on equal footing with his female co-stars all along.

In a 2014 interview for the movie “The Drop,” he had a thought about what it would be like to make a complete and unquestioning switcheroo to men’s and women’s parts in his films. He was kinda into it.

GIFs via Tumblr user queenofthenorths.

Fast-forward to the present. At the “Mad Max: Fury Road” press conference, a reporter asked Tom Hardy a familiar question…

“As you were reading the script did you ever think, ‘Why are all these women in here? I thought this was supposed to be a man’s movie.’?”

Tom Hardy’s response was basically great:

“No.”

“Not for one minute.”

Then Charlize Theron, his co-star and lady-sitting-in-front-of-him-on-the-movie-poster-but-he’s-clearly-totally-OK-with-it, says, “Good for you.”

GIFs via Tumblr user queenofthenorths.

And he replies, “I mean, it’s kinda obvious.”

Think about a world where we all get to score roles — on TV and in life — on equal footing with the opposite sex. And we, all of us, no matter our gender definition, work together and support each other.

That sounds kinda obviously great.

Thanks, Tom.

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