Tom Hardy revealed why he didn't feel good as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises

There are a handful of actors who push their bodies to the limit to become their character, and Tom Hardy is one of them.

Over the years, he has put on the pounds and lost them all again in order to embody the person he's playing on screen.

And as you can imagine, as time goes by, that type of effort can really take its toll.

One of Hardy's most iconic performances took more out of him than most, though.

DC fans were stoked when the British actor was cast by Christopher Nolan to play Bane in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises.

At the time, it was reported the 45-year-old had added an incredible 30lbs (13.6kg) to his frame to play the musclebound psycho.

In an old interview, Hardy opened up about the transformation process, admitting that he didn't feel good putting on all the extra weight, but said feeling was ‘not the point’.

He said: “If we look closely, if we really study the photographs, I was really overweight. I ate a lot, and you know, I was not much heavier than I am now but I just ate a lot more pizza.

Warner Bros. Pictures

“It took three or four months of training and lifting and eating lots of pizza. And, it wasn’t great for my heart.”

When asked if he felt good, he replied: “Not really, no. But that’s not the point - the point was to look as big as possible.”

His new build piqued the interest of fans, who were keen to see how he would portray the comic book villain.

And the Bronson star previously revealed he was upset by the reaction from some who expected him to be even bigger for the role.

In an interview with CineMovie, Hardy said: "I'm at 190. [lbs] Bat-fans want me to be over 220lbs. 400lbs. I'm like dude!

"Batman is like Superman, Spider-Man - he belongs to so many people. So many people love him. He belongs to them, and when you step into that kind of character, you are going to fail. And be judged.

Warner Bros

"I'm human, and I do read things. I read the comments, and I cry. I can't cry for everybody. I just give them a job, and be the best that I can be. Just trust me. I trust Nolan."

A few years ago, Hardy said that as he's got older, he's become more conscious of the kinds of stress he puts on his body.

“I think you pay the price with any drastic physical changes,” he told the Daily Beast in 2017.

"It was alright when I was younger, to put myself under that kind of duress, but I think as you get into your 40s you have to be more mindful of the rapid training, packing on a lot of weight and getting physical, and then not having enough time to keep training because you’re busy filming, so your body is swimming in two different directions at the same time."