Tom Hardy is apparently taking fashion tips from the Belfast-based Irish language trio Kneecap.
Hardy, 47, was recently photographed in his native London wearing a tricolor balaclava - similar if not identical to the one worn regularly by Kneecap member DJ Próvaí.
According to The Sun, "Peaky Blinders" star Hardy was donning the tricolor balaclava while walking his dog, a French bulldog named Blue, in South West London.
Tom Hardy shocks passers-by in balaclava to walk dog 33 miles from home https://t.co/9wNecIU0Oi pic.twitter.com/jw2bfo05as
— The Sun (@TheSun) February 22, 2025
Responding to Hardy's unexpected fashion choice, Kneecap took to social media saying: "Tom Hardy - welcome comrade," adding a handshake emoji and an Irish flag emoji.
The group's cheeky response on both X and Instagram on February 22 has drawn more than 123k likes.
Tom Hardy - welcome comrade 🤝 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/zokNj4QCEY
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) February 22, 2025
"No one cared who I was until I put on the mask," one person wrote on Kneecap's Instagram post, a nod to Hardy's line as Bane in the 2012 flick "The Dark Knight Rises."
"Tomás Ó hArdaidh," another wrote, with another adding: "Kneecap 2 shaping up nicely."
Hardy does have some Irish heritage through his mother Anne (née Barrett), which he paid tribute to when he was 15 years old with a leprechaun tattoo, though Hardy has admitted his mom wasn't a fan of the Irish-inspired ink.
The story behind DJ Próvaí's balaclava
Kneecap member DJ Próvaí - real name J.J. Ó Dochartaigh - has previously explained that he originally began donning his now signature tricolor balaclava in hopes of keeping his music separate from his career as a teacher in a Catholic grammar school.
"I was working in a school, I was doing that for eight, nine years," he told Newstalk's Pat Kenny in August.
"My students started coming to the gigs, I was teaching A-levels at the time."
He continued: "We were doing music and whenever we started doing this, obviously the school didn't know. I was working in a Catholic grammar school, in a convent.
"These two lifestyles don't go hand in hand, usually.
"So, bringing disrepute onto the school, obviously, eventually, word got out."
He continued: "The students started rapping our lyrics in the corridors and people started asking me questions and they delved into all our videos and found out that I was the masked member and eventually had to walk the plank."
Mo Chara - real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh - added: "They tracked all the stuff online to find out if he was actually DJ Próvaí or not and it was the photo of his bare ass that gave it away."
DJ Próvaí said that at the end of their critically acclaimed, self-titled film, "You can actually see my actual bum with the words 'Brits Out' written on either buttock."
Mo Chara said the nuns were "over the moon about this, you can imagine."
Earlier last summer, Kneecap began selling their own branded tricolor balaclavas. At the time of publication on Tuesday, the €30 piece of merch is sold out on their online European shop but is available for $38 on their online North American shop.
The time has come….
DJ Próvaí balaclavas are going to be available at times and places to be decided 💚🤍🧡
First up….they’re available all weekend in @BangBangD7 in Dublin and are €25. pic.twitter.com/tBBXyBDkmq
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) July 6, 2024
Comments