The Mad Max actor might not be mad after all. The Venom superstar, Tom Hardy, offered to pay the construction crew for The Associate, approximately $300,000 as a coverup for their lost wages.
The Legend star, 47, made an offer of a payment of £250,000, which is roughly $315,000, as compensation for the set workers who seemingly were not going to be paid. The construction company in question, Helix 3D hired them to work under Paramount’s orders.
Helix 3D hired the workers for Guy Ritchie’s upcoming gangster series, The Associate, which has a stellar cast that includes Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned as 50 freelance builders were hired to complete the set the previous summer. The tragedy struck when a leaked Whatsapp message during the week of December 9, disclosed that Helix 3D had no funds, and was likely to be liquidated, according to People Magazine.
The London Times corroborated the news of the production company collapse. A mail from Helix 3D’s chief executive, Brian Dowling, reached the workers with the sad news of non-payment of their well-deserved remuneration right before Christmas.
When it was revealed that Paramount had already made the payment, the news became even more worrying.
How did Tom Hardy help?
This is where Tom Hardy came in to help those who had done their hard work. Considering the holidays are just around the corner and the workers would be devastated, not being in the position to provide for their families, Hardy came up with the kind gesture.
Paramount had already taken care of the matter by making the payment before Hardy announced his offer. Thankfully, their Christmas would be equally merry as their hard work won’t be robbed anymore.
Tom Hardy and Paramount thought it would be best to do so for the series PR, which otherwise could have produced some unwanted repercussions.
Paramount did not make it a hush-hush situation and came out with strong ‘outrage’ about the daylight robbery at the production house. The firm was enraged that arrangements were already in place for the crew’s payments. Even the security guards were upset, deeming it to be a “costly mistake”.
The Associate is set to make its debut in 2025 on Paramount Plus and Showtime.