In the world of Land of Mafia, the Paramount+ series that has just returned to streaming, deaths and power struggles are the order of the day. It is a gangster story where everything is amplified because at the center is a family made up of unhinged and petty characters at the head of a criminal empire.
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In that landscape full of violence and action, the person who must take care of cleaning up every disaster is Harry, the trusted man of the main clan for years, played by Tom Hardy (London, 1977).
The project came at the right time for the renowned English actor. After spending several years portraying Venom and Eddie Brock in film – and completing a lucrative trilogy that ended in 2024 – he was looking for a story tinged with darkness, something that might bring him closer to Peaky Blinders and Taboo, the previous series in his career.
After filming two seasons of Land of Mafia, has he managed to satisfy that appetite? The actor has a unique answer.
“Not yet. I’m looking forward to the third season to do something even grittier. Well, there are levels of grittiness. We are moving in that direction, although perhaps the kind of grittiness I’m looking for in filming is something out of this world,” he says in conversation with Culto via video call.
Hardy has grown fond of getting into the skin of Harry Da Souza, the full name of the guy responsible for hiding the trash and safeguarding the Harrigan interests.
Led by Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and Maeve (Helen Mirren), the family’s most direct successor is Kevin (Paddy Considine), although there are two problems around him: he doesn’t have the guts to be as ruthless as his parents and his son, Eddie (Anson Boone), is a complete disaster. And – strictly speaking – he is not his son, but Conrad’s offspring. That is, a breeding ground for chaos.
Harry’s personal life is no bed of roses either. Gina (Teddie Allen), his daughter, is estranged and spends time with Eddie, while Jan (Joanne Froggatt), his wife, is seriously considering divorce.
That crisis cannot be understood without recalling the end of the first season, where Jan stabbed Harry. After exhausting other more civilized forms of communication, she finally seems to have chosen to speak in her own language, that of violence.
Joanne Froggatt warns that this episode – in her opinion, a “desperate act” – represents “a turning point” for the couple. “Jan had always had the moral superiority, until she stabs Harry and loses it. That is a change: she has committed an act of violence. And all that effort to get Harry’s attention against that other world and that other family (the Harrigans)… Well, it turns out she is not as innocent as she thinks,” she suggests.
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According to Hardy’s perspective, in the second season “they begin to move toward that conversation they had pending for a long time. But, how much water has passed under the bridge? Part of the damage is irreparable. And some conversations are difficult to approach because, both legally and consciously – or even at a level of self-awareness – the amount of murders, deaths, and reality that a truly intimate conversation and real connection between the couple would imply is a real challenge for them.”
“However, in every way, they represent the most normal and sensible version of family in Land of Mafia. They are the two who try to solve their problems,” the actor highlights.
“I think, ultimately, a good woman’s love is what helps you navigate this harsh world. It is the balance between completely losing yourself in something meaningless and losing something that does have meaning in the face of the empty nature of doing something risky that doesn’t need you,” Hardy analyzes.
The Oscar nominee is no stranger to delving into this type of story where twisted turns and extreme emotions abound. After all, some of the most famous characters in his career are an extremely violent inmate (Bronson), a hunter capable of betraying anyone (The Revenant), and a wild road warrior who barely utters words (Mad Max: Fury Road).
“In the end, it’s about playing,” he says. “Think of children: when they play with Lego, they go to bed being themselves. Well, sometimes they go to bed thinking they are Batman, but deep down, it’s a game. If I take something from my characters home, it’s the playful spirit of each day, because our job is to play.”
After clearing up some rumors pointing to his potential departure from the production after the second season, it is now certain that the actor will be present in the third season.
Could Land of Mafia be the introduction to a new stage of his career? Not necessarily, according to what he answers to this outlet.
“I’m getting old, man. My hair is falling out, I’m gaining weight, and things are changing. So I’m open to new roles, like Big Bird in Sesame Street, but without the costume… No, I’m still the same, the same person.”
