Before The Dark Knight even hit theaters, rumors about Heath Ledger’s legendary character study were already in full circulation mode on the internet. Not so long ago, we heard from an exorcist who thought the actor was possessed by a demon. Now we’re hearing word from Tom Hardy that his acting technique places him on the other end of the spectrum.

In an interview with The Press Association (via CBM) the Dark Knight Rises actor Tom Hardy says that he has no problem distancing himself from his villain persona.

“I didn’t get into a dark place at all. A lot of dark characters are easy to have distance from, it’s something I feel comfortable with, I suppose.” The actor has described the character as “brutal” and “heavy-handed”, but said that he had no problem separating himself from the role.

As a matter of a fact, he had the presence of mind to notice how uncomfortable the Bane mask really was.

“Bane’s mask is tight, actually. I got used to it, but you get used to anything really, in time.”

What do you think? Would you prefer Tom Hardy to delve more into his role? Are you glad that Tom Hardy has the self preservation to distance himself from such a brutal character? Would you want to spend hours with a scary looking Saw contraption on your face?