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It took several days to set up for our signing with Tom Hardy.  As you prepare, the pressure and anxiety mounts as this signing is perhaps the largest, single signing ever to be completed in the industry - much less to be completed in one day.   As with any new talent you work with, you wonder will they be easy-going, cooperative, understanding….or the opposite.  Tom was flying into the US from the UK the day before the signing, arrived late at night and then had to be ready to tackle our monster-sized signing the next day.  His time zone difference is also five hours ahead of ours.  Around 1pm we had a knock on our door, Tom and his team had arrived.  He walked in and begun introducing himself to everyone, personally greeting and shaking hands with each of us.  After walking around to gauge the entire scope of his upcoming day, we discussed the ‘quality’ of his signature that he would sign.  Tom explained that as a child he practiced signing his name like his Dad’s signature.  So every signature is personal to him, in a way paying tribute to his Dad with each autograph. After hearing this, his signature became special to all of us.

With this, Tom began by first completing the vast amount of fan send-in items.  From comics, photos, posters, trading cards, original artwork, prop replica items, die-cast cars to Pez dispensers, sculpted crayons, legos and baseballs, Tom completed them all - taking in the seemingly never ending array of items that he had never seen before.  After hours of this, it became surreal to him, seeing his image so many times with his signature on every item.  As he added, with him touching each and every piece that we would eventually ship to fans and customers was a bit amazing to think about.  He told stories about family, lost bets and shared many funny stories.  His love for Venom stood out, including the character’s direction and future.  Venom is not a job to him, not a mere role - it is a burning desire to deliver the best for fans and the character.  He appreciated the opportunity to portray Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, including the latitude to develop the character with Christopher Nolan.  He reflected on how fortunate he is to have been involved in such great franchises as Venom, Batman and Mad Max plus several great films as Legend, Bronson and many more.  He was humble, kind and gracious throughout.

Over the ensuing hours he kindly reassured us that he was staying until all was finished.  He proceeded with no rush, just with a smooth, consistent pace with few breaks.  He introduced us to his family via FaceTime and we shared a lot of thoughts and had several discussions on a wide range of topics including Jujitsu and his respect and admiration for the men and women in the military.  Anyone that thought Tom Hardy was just a good looking guy delivering lines is doing a great injustice to the man.  He was introspective on many topics including life, war and more which gave us a glimpse into a passionate man who cares for many.  Nine hours later, about 3:00 AM his time, he walked out of our office - allowing us to present the most incredible collection of Tom Hardy autographed collectibles ever offered from his only signing to date.  When he walked in we were fans of Tom Hardy’s film work, when he left we were fans of Tom Hardy, the man.

Watch for the complete Tom Hardy Signature Collection coming soon.