Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren 'blindsided' by Tom Hardy allegations

Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren have admitted themselves "blindsided" by claims their co-star Tom Hardy was a diva.

The MobLand actors were quick to defend their co-star against claims he'd misbehaved on the set of the TV crime drama series.

Tom, 49, was accused of a number of unprofessional behaviours, including allegedly making the rest of the cast and crew wait for hours as he holed up in his trailer.

"I think we're all blindsided by it, really. It was my son who sent me the text one morning. I was away on vacation, and I couldn't believe it," Pierce, 73, told The Hollywood Reporter.

"I reached out to Tom, saying, 'I love you, mate. I love you.' And he and I, you know, we communicate. He's a painter. I'm a painter. Both actors. But anyway, just to say, 'I'm there. We're there. We love you.' So for me, it was kind of a storm in a teacup."

In the same interview, Helen, 81, dismissed reports of Tom's diva behaviour as "false rumours".

"We live in the world of being talked about and interviewed in newspapers and so on and so forth. Pierce and I have both had many years of this and experience of it," the Oscar winner told the outlet. "False rumours just should be knocked on the head, ASAP."

"Tom is MobLand. Without Tom, we don't have MobLand," Pierce added. "He is the centre. He allows us to play these crazy characters."