Tom Hardy offered to pay the wages of dozens of set builders who were left out of pocket after the construction company working on a new Guy Ritchie series was unable to make payment in time for Christmas.
The Mad Max actor recently filmed scenes for Ritchie’s forthcoming gangster drama series, titled Fixer, which he will star in alongside Dame Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan.
However, around 50 freelance set builders – who completed the work on the set over the summer – were left in the lurch after learning that the set construction business, Helix 3D, would not be paying out the £250,000 it owed in wages.
According to The Times, the company is expected to enter liquidation, with its chief executive warning that the company was unlikely to pay staff before Christmas.
The publication reports that Hardy stepped in and offered to pay the workers’ wages, until Paramount resolved the situation.
A source close to Tom told The Times: “He offered to [pay], but the production and Paramount have sorted the payment.”
It added that a source at Paramount told the publication that bosses were “outraged” to hear about the situation and that it would be acting swiftly to make sure workers get paid.
Chris Hudson, organising official for the broadcasting union Bectu, wrote to Helix 3D’s chief executive before the payment plan was created to call out its conduct.
He wrote in a letter seen by The Times: “Our members deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and compensated on time for their work. It is wholly unacceptable that they are facing significant financial precarity, particularly ahead of Christmas.
“This close to Christmas, our members are rightly very distressed, with many fearing they will be unable to cover necessities. I trust you can appreciate the significant impact this is also having on their mental health.”
He added that certain issues facing the company, such as the sale of its offices, was not a valid excuse.
“What does seem to have been avoidable was the lack of foresight that this situation could occur, given the serious financial trouble Helix was in,” he said.
“What was also avoidable is the lack of information and transparency granted to our members throughout their employment as to Helix’s current state of affairs.”
The Independent has contacted Paramount, Hardy and Helix 3D for comment.
Ritchie is working with The Day of The Jackal and Top Boy writer Ronan Bennett on Fixer.
The series, which will stream on Paramount, follows two rival families who own competing international enterprises.
