Dame Helen Mirren appears to have shut down rumours of a feud with her MobLand co-star Tom Hardy after sharing a heartfelt public message to the actor.
The Oscar-winning actress posted a photo of Hardy to Instagram on Thursday alongside the caption: “Love you now and always.”
The gesture comes just days after reports suggested tensions had emerged between the pair during filming on the Paramount+ crime drama.
According to claims published last week, Dame Helen had allegedly become frustrated with Hardy's behaviour on set.
”Tom’s character is charming. He’s the calm one but it is quite the opposite when the cameras stop,” a source told the Daily Mail. “Dame Helen is a joy, she is a total pro and she has worked with so many people over the years.”
The insider further alleged: “She is getting increasingly frustrated with Tom and his attitude. He can be late to filming too and that is annoying for Dame Helen, who is extremely professional and disciplined. His tone is something Dame Helen doesn’t like, along with his lateness.”
They added that Dame Helen “expects better” from colleagues, while describing Hardy as someone who “swaggers around like a king” and is “very, very arrogant”.
Separate reports also claimed Hardy had been removed from the series following alleged tensions with executive producer Jez Butterworth, 101 Studios and other members of the production team.
According to Puck News, the actor was accused of repeatedly arriving late to set, offering extensive script notes and making dialogue changes during filming on season two.
However, those reports were later challenged.
Sources subsequently told Variety that Hardy had not been fired and that discussions regarding the future of the series were ongoing.
“The door is not closed for Season 3 and things are being worked through creatively,” a source close to production told the publication.
The crime drama stars Hardy as Harry Da Souza, a fixer working for a powerful London crime family.
The ensemble cast also includes Pierce Brosnan, Paddy Considine, Joanne Froggatt, Lara Pulver, Anson Boon, Jasmine Jobson and Mandeep Dhillon.
Dame Helen’s social media post arrives shortly after the actress made headlines for another reason, after she was confronted by a pro-Palestine activist on a London street and subjected to verbal abuse over her public support for Israel.
