'I like to think of myself as an Adonis': Tom Hardy insists he feels 'no shame' over his cringeworthy MySpace selfies

By Jj Nattrass and Joanna Crawley For Mailonline

Published: 03:24 EST, 9 September 2015 | Updated: 07:13 EST, 9 September 2015

The internet went into overdrive when a series of Tom Hardy's rather cringeworthy pre-fame selfies surfaced earlier this year.

But the good-natured actor, 37, insisted he feels 'no shame' when faced with hilarious snaps of him posing in nothing but a pair of white Y-fronts and attempting a seductive lean on a door frame. 

The Legend star said in an interview with Sky News: 'I might not be an Adonis, but I like to think of myself as an Adonis in that photo.'

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'I like to think of myself as an Adonis in that photo': Tom Hardy has insisted he feels 'no shame' when faced with hilarious snaps of him posing in nothing but a pair of white Y-fronts from before he was famous

'I've got no shame about my MySpace photos, especially the one of me in my underpants which is a glorious photo of a man in his natural habitat.'

And while some might have been left a tad red-faced at the prospect of posing on the internet in just their underwear, Tom defended his choice.   

He joked: 'In my tighty-whitey budgie smugglers. In America, they say "You should be ashamed of this" but I'm actually not remotely ashamed – that is me in my natural habitat, thank you.'

Light-hearted: The 37-year-old actor joked the pouting shots, taken from his MySpace page, simply show him relaxing in his 'natural habitat' 

Happy couple: The Legend star is expecting his second child with pregnant wife Charlotte Riley. He also has a son Louis, seven, with ex-girlfriend Rachael Speed

The photos of the actor - who is currently expecting his first child with second wife Charlotte Riley - surfaced after he made the unfortunate mistake of leaving his old MySpace profile open.

And with the pictures having emerged into the public eye from time-to-time, the Dark Knight Rises star found himself once-again going viral after the snaps surfaced earlier this summer.

In a homage to his selfie snapping days, BuzzFeed drew attention to the photographic gems, with the action man looking a far cry from the tough characters he's portrayed in movies such as break-out hit, Bronson.

Looking a far cry from his time playing Britain's most notorious prisoner, one standout pic shows Tom pouting while snapping a selfie with his hand down his pants.

The outfit of choice is also very questionable, with the actor donning a bright orange baseball cap and what looks to be a cropped green waistcoat for the picture.

Another favourite snap shared by fans sees the hard man posing in a doorway in just his underwear, with his physique a world away from the ripped look he's now famous for.

Tom's tattoo collection also features heavily in the old photos, with the pics taken around the time he was starting to make it big in movies.

The London born star got his first taste of fame aged 21 when he won The Big Breakfast's Find Me A Supermodel competition. 

And following that break he soon quit drama school after landing a role in the award-winning HBO-BBC miniseries Band of Brothers, before making his big screen debut in Ridley Scott's 2001 war thriller Black Hawk Down.

Fast forward a few years to 2008 and after acclaimed roles in theatre and TV, Tom starred as the audience favourite character Handsome Bob in Guy Ritchie's gangster film, RocknRolla.

At around the time his MySpace pics appear to have been taken, Tom was prepping for his role as Charles Bronson in the 2009 biopic, for which he piled on three stone. 

2008 also marked a big year in the actor's personal life, with his son Louis Thomas born, after a relationship with Rachael Speed. In that year he embarked on a romance with his now wife, actress Charlotte Riley, after the two met on the set of Wuthering Heights.

The couple, who married last year, are now also expecting their first child together; which will be Tom's second child following the birth of his son Louis, seven, in 2008 to ex-girlfriend Rachael Speed. 

Reflecting on his more mature outlook on life now, Tom recently spoke very openly about his rollercoaster past and his battles with alcohol and crack cocaine in his early twenties. 

Last month in an interview with Yahoo! New Zealand, the Mad Max star confessed: 'I would have sold my mother for a rock of crack. I was a shameful suburban statistic. 

'I was told very clearly, "You go down that road, Tom, you won't come back. That's it. All you need to know". That message stayed with me clearly for the rest of my days. I am f***ing lucky to be here.'

The star has had a steady rise to fame in blockbuster action films such as Nolan's Batman swansong, with the star crediting his success to his hard man persona, explaining: 'People didn't sit up and take any notice of me until I started putting on weight, kicking people and being aggressive.'

Tough guy: Tom found huge success with his lead role in 2009 big screen biopic Bronson

Action man: The 37-year-old Brit starred in this summer's big blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road, following the futuristic thriller up with critically acclaimed biopic, Legend - which tells the story of the Kray twins

While those MySpace selfies show a very different side of the star, his rambling 'About Me' profile on the old account does hint at the tough guy persona he has carefully crafted.

In the personal section he writes:'I'm Grateful, arrogant self centred, tenacious, versatile, honest, honourable, loyal, loving, gentle, consistent, reliable, focussed, prideful, passionate and nuts.(sic)'

He also hints at his past problems, writing: 'I could so easily be dead. My head is like a dangerous neighbourhood I should never be in it without an appropriate adult.'

Following his critically lauded roles in Mad Max and the Kray twins biopic, Legend, Tom will next hit the big screen in highly-anticipated drama, The Revenant - due in January 2016.

Starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in the gritty adventure film, Tom plays an unlikable frontiersman, John Fitzgerald, who betrays DiCaprio's Hugh Glass and leaves him for dead. 

Life is good: 2008, the year many of the MySpace photos appear to have been taken, marked some major changes in Tom's life as he started dating his now wife Charlotte Riley

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