Why does Tom Hardy describe his character Harry Da Souza in Guy Ritchie’s ‘MobLand’ "as a real paradox"?

MobLand is the latest Guy Ritchie venture after the celebrated British director made his recent foray into television following The Gentlemen. MobLand is a crime thriller that's usually rife territory for someone of Guy Ritchie's caliber, set once again in London.

Tom Hardy reunites with Guy Ritchie on MobLand following their last collaboration on RocknRolla several years ago. In a recently released video on X, Tom Hardy was approached by Deadline to speak about his character Harry Da Souza, to which he replied:

"I love playing Harry. Harry is a fixer for a crime family but there's a lot more to it than just fixing problems for people, or being a PA, or a concierge to a dysfunctional criminal family. The question is why does he do it? And how?"

He was then asked whether there was any honorable side to Harry, apart from the fact that he embodied the usual aspects of being a tough guy carrying a gun and all that. Hardy answered,

"Paradoxically, yeah."

The following question was how, and Hardy explained:

"I think you compartmentalize. Harry is Harry depending on who he is with. So he has nobility, integrity, honor and he has some very unvirtuous characteristics as well also. He’s a real paradox, which is interesting because how can somebody contain all of the spectrum and be a questionably decent human being."

Here's everything that we know.

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What is MobLand all about?

The official synopsis of the show elaborates:

"Power is up for grabs as two warring crime families clash in a battle that threatens to topple empires and ruin lives. In the crossfire stands Harry Da Souza (Hardy), a street-smart ‘fixer’ who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide."

The show is expected to present the story of an Irish crime family living in London involved in an ongoing battle with other crime syndicates. The character of Harry Da Souza played by Tom Hardy, occupies an integral position in this scheme of things as the fixer employed by the family.

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Who is part of the cast of MobLand?

Other than Tom Hardy, the show brings together two major actors, i.e., Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren. Brosnan's latest projects include Steven Soderbergh's spy thriller Black Bag, while Helen Mirren is currently appearing on Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone spin-off 1923. Apart from these three actors, the show also features Lara Pulver, Anson Boon, Mandeep Dhillon, Paddy Considine, Joanne Froggatt, Daniel Betts, Lisa Dwan, Emily Barber, and Geoff Bell in prominent roles.

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MobLand premieres on March 30 on Paramount+.