‘Venom’ Star Reid Scott Details How Unhinged Tom Hardy Was In The Original Cut Of Infamous Lobster Scene

Back when Venom was released in 2018, the film achieved almost instant cult-hit status thanks to one scene and one scene alone: the infamous Lobster Scene.

For those who don’t recall, the Lobster Scene sees Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock having a meltdown in a fancy restaurant that ultimately leads to him taking a bath in the lobster tank:

Speaking to BroBible’s Post-Credit Podcast in tandem with the release of his new comedy Who Invited Charlie?, Reid revealed that the original cut of the scene was so gonzo that the studio asked them to tone it down because it became “too funny.”

“Hardy’s a beast,” Scott began. “Tommy is an absolute beast.”

“I think Venom was the first time that people got to see it — he’s incredibly funny. He is a very, very funny guy. His Dad was a comedy writer. Tom gets the joke. And he loves to play. He’ll spend most of the day playing around — you might get one [good] take because we spent the whole day f***ing around, which is really, really fun.”

Scott made sure to include that five-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams, who most recently scored a nod for Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Fabelmans, is also a ton of fun to work with while making the Venom movies.

“Michelle, too — Michelle Williams is really, really funny. And she loved to play. That whole scene, when we shot it, was so much bigger. We worked out this massive, sprawling physical comedy bit. A lot of it is in there but, trust me when I tell you, it was twice as long.”

Apparently, though, the scene became TOO funny for a film that Sony was apparently trying to sell as semi-serious (they realized this was a mistake and leaned into the campy insanity of the character in the sequel.

“And it was awesome, we had so much fun, it might have been the most fun we had during the whole shoot. And then we got a note — you know, studio notes, studio people give studio notes, above my paygrade — that it’s too funny. It became too much of a comedy.”

You can check out the clip of our interview below and the full 30-minute chat over on YouTube, where we also discuss working with Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep and Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Scott can most recently be seen starring in the new comedy Who Invited Charlie? alongside Adam Pally and Jordana Brewster. The film is available to rent or purchase on demand.

As for Venom 3, Scott didn’t have any updates to share, but given that his and Michelle Williams’ characters seem to be integral parts at this stage, he’ll surely get the call when it is time for production to begin.

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