Taron Egerton says he improvised a kiss with Tom Hardy in cut Legend scene

Taron Egerton has revealed that he improvised a kiss with Tom Hardy while filming the 2015 crime drama Legend, though it didn’t make the final cut.

Egerton shared the story during an appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast, explaining that the kiss happened during a scene in which Hardy’s character, Ronnie Kray, returns to his car after murdering somebody where Egerton’s character, Edward ‘Mad Teddy’ Smith, was sat waiting.

“I grabbed his face and I snogged him” – Taron Egerton on the unscripted kiss

“I was sat in the back of the car waiting for him and I grabbed his face and I snogged him and it wasn’t in the script,” Egerton revealed.

Egerton admitted he became nervous afterwards and “backed off”, unsure how Hardy would respond. Looking back, however, he believes Hardy “loved it”.

“At that time, I think he quite liked my chutzpah,” Egerton added.

What is Legend about?

Legend is a biographical crime thriller about identical twin gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray, who terrorised London in the 1960s.

Egerton’s character, Edward, is a member of the Krays’ criminal organisation, “The Firm”, and the occasional lover and companion of Ronnie Kray.

Ronnie was publicly queer, though he fiercely guarded his masculine and dominant reputation during a time when homosexuality was illegal in the UK.

What happened to Ronnie Kray and Edward ‘Mad Teddy’ Smith?

The pair’s relationship was reportedly volatile but intimate. Edward vanished in 1967, with reports claiming that Ronnie killed him in a jealous rage.

It was later reported that Smith moved to Australia, where he died in the early 2000s. Ronnie died on 17 March 1995, aged 61.

Egerton’s film credits include a range of queer roles, including Elton John in Rocketman and Edward Brittain in Testament of Youth, as well as M in the West End production of Cock.

Legend is available to stream in the UK on Amazon Prime.