Tom Hardy: Taboo star responds to claims he has a cameo in Star Wars Episode VIII

'I don't know if I can even say that'

Tom Hardy has responded to speculation that he may have a cameo in an upcoming Star Wars film.

Hollywood stars have made a few sneaky appearances in recent films; Simon Pegg donned a giant suit to play scrap dealer Unkar Platt, while James Bond actor Daniel Craig had a stint as a mind-controlled stormtrooper in The Force Awakens.

Rumours over Hardy appearing in the franchise have been going on for some time, and now he has addressed them in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.

"I don't know if I can even say that," he said when asked if he had a cameo. "Where did you hear that?... Ah, the internet is a glorious web of deceit and information, isn't it?

"It could be [misinformation] couldn't it?" he added.

Keep an ear out for a gruff voice mumbling from under a stormtrooper helmet in the next Star Wars film.

Hardy is currently starring in the new BBC series Taboo, a historical series that sees the actor as adventurer James Delaney, who uncovers a dark family conspiracy upon returning home from Africa.

Hardy devised the story with his father Chips, and collaborated with Peaky Blinders producer Steven Knight, after appearing in the series as gangster baker Alfie Solomons.

Taboo airs on 7 January on BBC One at 9.15pm