Tom Hardy is a man's man and a woman's man; a fashion man and a I-don't-give-a-fuck-what-I-wear man.

He is an anomaly: the most bankable actor this drizzly isle has produced in a generation, but one who would rather be painting pottery in the Canadian wilderness than on the red carpet.

Call him a star, call him an enigma, call him a bit of a weirdo (in a nice way, of course) but there's no denying that Tom Hardy is someone we guys want to be and the girls all want to... well, y'know.

How to be a bit more Hardy? It's tough, but possible. Read on.

1 | Stay Woke

Woke, /wəʊk/, verb: being socially aware, specially on Twitter

It's 2017, lads. If you're not woke then it's time to woke the hell up. That doesn't mean you need to start a Tumblr page about the patriarchy or anything, but it does mean that you should be egalitarian, thoughtful, prepared to shut up and listen but also to speak up when a random journalist makes a stupid point about there being too many women in your latest blockbuster ...as demonstrated by Tom here.

The best bit? When he looks to his right like "The f**k did this guy just ask me?!"

2 | Know how to dress for the occasion

While having a confident, unaffected sense of style is both admirable and attractive, you've got to know when to step up for a big occasion, something that Hardy understands well.

Hover over the links below as we delve into one his more popular red carpet looks.


3 | Be a dog man

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Almost as much of a draw as the man himself, Hardy's dog Woody is a regular in interviews and on the red carpet circuit. And everyone loves a dog man.

4 | Embrace the most embarrassing parts of your past

We've all looked back on at least a couple of excruciating social media posts through the gaps between our fingers, but few of have had an old account dug up and paraded through the internet like a shame-filled carnival float.

One of the World Wide Web's great relics, Tom Hardy's MySpace page is an El Dorado of awful, cringeworthy and questionable photos, quotes and admissions. Does Tom Hardy care? Absolutely not.

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Ladies...

Speaking to Sky News about it, Hardy said: "I've got no shame about my MySpace photos, especially the one of me in my underpants which is a glorious photo of a man in his natural habitat."

"In America, they say, 'You should be ashamed of this,' but I'm actually not remotely ashamed — that is me in my natural habitat, thank you.

"I might not be an Adonis, but I like to think of myself as an Adonis in that photo."

Legend.

5 | Master a 'You weren't there, man' stare

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But were you there, man?

6 | Own the crap out of one really good coat

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It's highly likely that Tom Hardy owns lots of really good coats. He probably gets sent really good coats all the time, a constant, inexorable stream of sheepskin and buffalo leather; fine furs and hand-weaved silks.

But listen: that shearling coat, that is the only coat that Tom Hardy owns. The only coat that Tom feels himself in. It's summer, at least 26 degrees. One of those rare days when all seems right and just and hopeful with the world - especially when Tom has his really good coat on.

"Tom, please" his wife says. "Please take off your coat, it's summer." Tom regards her, growls, fixes her with that Brando, 'you weren't there, man' stare.

"No."

And that's that, because every man should own a really good coat, and every man should be able to wear it whenever he wants.

7 | Be a tough guy - even when you lose...

We're still really angry that Tom loses to Joel Egerton at the end of Warrior. There's no way that should have happened. Tom knows it, Joel knows it and the world knows it.

8 | Be erudite and aware about your own fragile masculinity

Speaking on the public perception of his alpha male status with Esquire, Tom said:

"I have always been frightened with men, to the point where I couldn't go into a gym because of the testosterone, and I felt weak… I don't feel very manly. I don't feel rugged and strong and capable in real life, not how I imagine a man ought to be. So I seek it, to mimic it and maybe understand it, or maybe to draw it into my own reality."

"The compelling nature of violence and danger is that it's so much nicer to watch it onscreen than to be in the room with that person. See, I trust that I'm not really that person. So I laugh when I hear about the myths, and I quite like them as well."

Woke.

9 | Have a best mate

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Sorry, Woody.

10 | Be a man who can do both

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11 | Be Tom Hardy

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Capricious, haunted, feverish and slightly deranged, Hardy is a character actor of the old school, when men acted not just with their face and bodies but their entire sense of being. He exudes a sense of unhinged, angular energy. He always looks f***ing great.

And while life sadly doesn't make us all wildly famous actors who can wear combat trousers and graphic t-shirts with reckless abandon and take our lovely, happy dogs to fancy premieres, can't we all at least try and be a bit more... Hardy?

Yes. Yes we can.

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Headshot of Finlay Renwick
Finlay Renwick
Deputy Style Editor
Mother, blogger, vegan, model, liar