Taron Egerton Says He Improvised a Kiss With Tom Hardy in a Cut 'Legend' Scene
Photo Credit: Cross Creek
by Chris Tremblay Aug 12
3 MIN READ
Taron Egerton says he once improvised a kiss with Tom Hardy during the filming of Legend, a scene that was ultimately left out of the 2015 film.
Egerton discussed the moment during an appearance on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard released August 10, 2026. The episode’s official description identifies Egerton as the guest and lists a discussion of his work with Hardy among the conversation’s topics.
“There was a scene that never made the movie, but I was so pleased with myself,” Egerton said, according to reports on the interview. He then described a sequence in which Hardy’s character returns to a car after killing someone while Egerton’s character is waiting in the back seat.
“I grabbed his face, and I snogged him,” Egerton recalled. “And it wasn’t in the script.”
Egerton said he immediately pulled back because he did not know how Hardy would respond. Egerton added that he believed Hardy appreciated the confidence behind the improvisation, although Hardy has not been independently quoted in the available reports about the incident.
In Legend, Hardy played both Ronald “Ronnie” Kray and Reginald “Reggie” Kray, the real-life London gangsters whose criminal activities form the basis of the film. Egerton played Teddy Smith, who is described in coverage of the film as Ronnie Kray’s lover.
The kiss did not appear in the theatrical version of Legend. Reports describe it as an unused or cut moment rather than a kiss shown in the completed film.
Egerton said the improvisation suited the purpose of his role because Teddy was positioned as a romantic counterpoint to the film’s violent, male-dominated gangster environment. He described the characters’ world as hypermasculine and said his role was intended to subvert that atmosphere.
Egerton also credited director Brian Helgeland with allowing the cast to experiment while making the film. Coverage of the interview reports that Egerton characterized Helgeland as open to actors improvising and trying alternatives to the written material.
The disclosure comes more than a decade after Legend was made and released. The film was directed by Helgeland and centered on Hardy’s dual performance as the Kray twins.
The reported kiss is notable because Egerton’s character was explicitly connected romantically to one of Hardy’s characters, yet the moment did not survive into the final cut. The available reporting does not establish why the scene was removed, whether the footage still exists or whether the production formally recorded the kiss as a take intended for possible inclusion.
Egerton’s account frames the moment as an acting choice made within the film’s established relationship and character dynamics, rather than as a claim about either actor’s sexuality or personal life. No available report indicates that either Egerton or Hardy has identified the scene as evidence of an off-screen romantic relationship.
Egerton said he had not seen Hardy in approximately 10 years, according to coverage of the podcast conversation. He nevertheless recalled the filming experience positively and said he was not intimidated by Hardy as a fellow actor.
The actor said he has personal insecurities and fears but does not lack confidence in his ability as a performer. That confidence, as described in the interview coverage, informed his willingness to make an unexpected choice during the scene.
The account has since been reported by entertainment and international news outlets, all of which identify the Armchair Expert episode as the source of Egerton’s comments.
As of August 12, 2026, there is no reported indication that the deleted scene will be released or restored.
“There was a scene that never made the movie, but I was so pleased with myself,” Egerton said, according to reports on the interview. He then described a sequence in which Hardy’s character returns to a car after killing someone while Egerton’s character is waiting in the back seat.
“I grabbed his face, and I snogged him,” Egerton recalled. “And it wasn’t in the script.”
Egerton said he immediately pulled back because he did not know how Hardy would respond. Egerton added that he believed Hardy appreciated the confidence behind the improvisation, although Hardy has not been independently quoted in the available reports about the incident.
The Scene’s Context
In Legend, Hardy played both Ronald “Ronnie” Kray and Reginald “Reggie” Kray, the real-life London gangsters whose criminal activities form the basis of the film. Egerton played Teddy Smith, who is described in coverage of the film as Ronnie Kray’s lover.
The kiss did not appear in the theatrical version of Legend. Reports describe it as an unused or cut moment rather than a kiss shown in the completed film.
Egerton said the improvisation suited the purpose of his role because Teddy was positioned as a romantic counterpoint to the film’s violent, male-dominated gangster environment. He described the characters’ world as hypermasculine and said his role was intended to subvert that atmosphere.
Egerton also credited director Brian Helgeland with allowing the cast to experiment while making the film. Coverage of the interview reports that Egerton characterized Helgeland as open to actors improvising and trying alternatives to the written material.
A Revisited Performance
The disclosure comes more than a decade after Legend was made and released. The film was directed by Helgeland and centered on Hardy’s dual performance as the Kray twins.
The reported kiss is notable because Egerton’s character was explicitly connected romantically to one of Hardy’s characters, yet the moment did not survive into the final cut. The available reporting does not establish why the scene was removed, whether the footage still exists or whether the production formally recorded the kiss as a take intended for possible inclusion.
Egerton’s account frames the moment as an acting choice made within the film’s established relationship and character dynamics, rather than as a claim about either actor’s sexuality or personal life. No available report indicates that either Egerton or Hardy has identified the scene as evidence of an off-screen romantic relationship.
What Egerton Said About Hardy
Egerton said he had not seen Hardy in approximately 10 years, according to coverage of the podcast conversation. He nevertheless recalled the filming experience positively and said he was not intimidated by Hardy as a fellow actor.
The actor said he has personal insecurities and fears but does not lack confidence in his ability as a performer. That confidence, as described in the interview coverage, informed his willingness to make an unexpected choice during the scene.
The account has since been reported by entertainment and international news outlets, all of which identify the Armchair Expert episode as the source of Egerton’s comments.
As of August 12, 2026, there is no reported indication that the deleted scene will be released or restored.
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