Britney Spears Posts Uplifting Tom Hardy Clip, Calls Him 'The British Guy'

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Britney Spears posted Tom Hardy's audition tape for 2002 movie The Reckoning on Instagram on Thursday—while admitting that she doesn't know who he is.

The pop star, 40, preceded the video with a clipping of a magazine article about Hardy, 44, as she wrote in her accompanying caption: "I'm not sure who this guy is."

Spears, who in June tied the knot with her partner Sam Asghari, added that "the British guy reminds me to believe in magic," in reference to a coin trick that he performed in the seconds-long video clip she shared.

Referring to the article, the "Toxic" singer wrote: "Flying home I found this magazine... I'm not sure who this guy is but I liked the key tattoo on his right arm... obviously a sad story but I read that he flipped a quarter and it came up heads!!!"

Britney Spears shares Tom Hardy audition
Britney Spears is pictured left on July 22, 2019, in Hollywood, California. Tom Hardy is pictured right on September 14, 2021, in London, England. Spears shared one of Hardy's audition tapes on Instagram on Thursday,... Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images;/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

Explaining how she personally related to the anecdote, the mother of two went on: "So when I danced I saw my son left a quarter on the piano... I picked it up and look what came up... heads or tails??? Play on my friends!!!"

"Psss this was shot on Christmas Day!!!!" Spears said of a follow-up video that showed her performing a dance routine at her home. "Pssss the British guy reminds me to believe in magic. Pssssss look at the [key]!!!!!"

Spears' fans were quick to inform the star of exactly who the "British guy" is, with one writing: "The British guy is Tom Hardy, sexiest man alive."

"Tom Hardy must be so disappointed Britney didn't recognize him," quipped another of her followers.

"The fact that you don't know that that's Tom Hardy is exactly why I love you," said another.

In late June, Spears made a welcome return to Instagram, several days after deactivating her account on the platform, following her wedding earlier that month.

On her return, the Louisiana-raised star posted about her new hairstyle and her palatial new home.

Explaining why her honeymoon had been delayed, Spears wrote that she "got married and moved into a new house around the same time ... not the smartest thing to do."

"It's so weird I wake up and everything is new, new pool, new kitchen, new bed," she added, "I think I'm in shock!"

"Figuring out a couple of things, I definitely like being outside but I also like being inside too. My yard is sick so my dogs are in pig heaven," said Spears, who further added that "change is so great."

She ended her long-captioned message by informing her army of followers: "I cut all my hair short and my husband just made me a steak, life is good."

About the writer

Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on pop culture and entertainment. He has covered film, TV, music, and Hollywood celebrity news, events, and red carpets for more than a decade. He previously led teams on major Hollywood awards shows and events, including the Oscars, Grammys, Golden Globes, MTV VMAs, MTV Movie Awards, ESPYs, BET Awards, and Cannes Film Festival. He has interviewed scores of A-list celebrities and contributed across numerous U.S. TV networks on coverage of Hollywood breaking news stories. Ryan joined Newsweek in 2021 from the Daily Mail and had previously worked at Vogue Italia and OK! magazine. Languages: English. Some knowledge of German and Russian. You can get in touch with Ryan by emailing r.smith@newsweek.com.


Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more