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Tom Hardy<\/a> is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, and he’s never shied away from taking on physically and mentally demanding roles.<\/span><\/p>\n However, when it comes to what he considers to be his toughest role, the screen icon’s choice was genuinely surprising.<\/span><\/p>\n The Bikeriders<\/span><\/em> star, 46, recently spoke with ET’s Nischelle Turner during a press day promoting <\/span>his new drama<\/a>, and he reflected on his recurring gig, in which he reads bedtime stories for kids on the BBC program\u00a0<\/span>CBeebies Bedtime Stories<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n “That’s actually really tough!” Hardy said. “You have to try working with children or try to get them to sleep — talk about tough! It’s the toughest thing on the planet is trying to get children to go to bed on time.”<\/span><\/p>\n “That’s authentically the toughest role I’ve ever played,” Hardy said with a laugh. “And it’s the closest, probably, to me.”<\/span><\/p>\n Hardy is the father of three children, <\/span>including two kids with his wife,\u00a0Charlotte Riley<\/a> — born in 2015 and 2019, though they’ve never revealed the names or genders of either child. He also has a 16-year-old son, Louis, from his past relationship with\u00a0Rachael Speed.<\/span><\/p>\n While he’s got some professional experience as a bedtime story reader, Hardy joked that it hasn’t gotten him much respect when it comes to getting his own kids to sleep.<\/span><\/p>\n “[There’s] no respect at home. That’s not where respect is!” Hardy joked. “It’s where it’s earned and lost!”<\/span><\/p>\n In his new film <\/span>The Bikeriders<\/span><\/em>, Hardy stars as Johnny, the leader of an outlaw motorcycle gang called the Vandals MC who operate in Chicago in the 1960s. <\/span>Austin Butler<\/a> plays Benny, a young member of the club who falls in love with Kathy (<\/span>Jodie Comer<\/a>) and finds himself having to choose between the woman he cares for and the increasingly dangerous group of outlaws who have become his surrogate family.<\/span><\/p>\n Hardy reflected on his role as Johnny, a mentor of sorts for Benny, and how he himself has never seemed to gravitate toward mentors or close-knit cliques while navigating Hollywood.<\/span><\/p>\n “I’ve never really wanted to be apart of any community ever,” Hardy admitted. “And then, I really do want to be part [of one], I’m like ‘Why have I got no friends?!’… I just want to be on my own, like ‘Leave me alone, I’ll do it myself, I’m fine, I don’t want anyone!’ But then you need to have everyone to hear you say that.”<\/span><\/p>\n “I want to be invited but I don’t want to come, you know?” Hardy said with a laugh. “Like, I want all the joys and the pleasures of the community without the, you know, having to be happy all the time.”<\/span><\/p>\n