There’s no doubt that playing the villain in one of the most anticipated films of all-time will do wonders for your exposure as an actor. One must wonder though, how does this exposure change when half of your performance is obscured by a mask?

We’ve been seeing Tom Hardy’s masked face everywhere in preparation for the release of The Dark Knight Rises, but can any non-Nolanite even recognize the actor behind all of those mechanics? In an interview with Vulture Magazine (via CBM) the actor expressed his indifference to not being recognizable.

To me, it’s about the characters, it’s about the film, it’s about the process of making stunning visuals and a huge, epic movie. It doesn’t matter if my head was covered in a black plastic bag and I was bouncing around in a space hopper: That’s the villain of Chris Nolan’s Batman!

In another interview with TotalFilm (via CBM) Hardy talked about working with his hero Gary Oldman and how Bane treats Gordon in The Dark Knight Rises.

“I spent my entire experience with Gary [on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy] staring at him and not returning any lines because I think he’s God. The second time [on The Dark Knight Rises] I was playing God, so I ignored him. Kicked him a bit, that kind of thing. Gary Oldman is one of my heroes, I did nothing but glean from him.”

Damn! Could Bane have been the one to put Commissioner Gordon in the hospital? Would you be able to recognize Tom Hardy on the street if he ended up taking out Gary Oldman in The Dark Knight Rises?