Helen Mirren reveals why she defended MobLand co-star Tom Hardy following on-set clash rumours as she says 'you learn how to work with people as you get older'

Helen Mirren has insisted everyone should be 'free to f*** up' as she addresses reports of her MobLand co-star Tom Hardy's on set drama.

The British acting icon is back as scheming Maeve Harrigan for series two of Guy Ritchie and Ronan Bennett's gangster series which premieres on September 18 on Paramount+.

Whilst there are plenty of furious clashes on screen, reports of major tension between Tom and production during filming led to reports of him departing the show.

It's since been reported that the actor and producers Jez Butterworth and David Glasser are working through their creative differences in time to start shooting series three.

Meanwhile, Dame Helen has doubled down on her defence of Tom, after previously showing her support for her co-star via a 'Love you now and always' Instagram post and stating publicly she would work with him again in a 'heartbeat'.

'You do learn certain things as you get older,' she has mused to Radio Times. 'About how to work with people, really.' 

Admitting that whilst she has certainly not become more forgiving of people she added: 'What you learn is every single person is different; every single person has their own way of doing things.'

'There's not one way, there's a million different ways.' 

'What you want is what's on the screen, or what's on the stage, to be great. And the only way to do that is for everyone to feel that they can be free to create and explore and experiment and f*** up,' adding that she herself has 'endlessly' 'f**ked up'. 

The star, who reprises her lead role in MobLand alongside Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Lara Pulver, Mandeep Dhillon and Teddie Allen, gushed that she loves 'to work in an ensemble situation, and MobLand is very ensemble. It suits me just fine.' 

Hardy's dismissal from MobLand was first reported in the Puck newsletter in May. The report blamed 'clashes with producers Jez Butterworth and David Glasser, among others', during production of season two.

Just as season two is set to hit screens, season three is set to go into production this autumn, leaving production with a predicament. 

It's been reported that his character Harry, a fixer who works for the Harrigan crime family led by Conrad (Brosnan) and his wife Maeve (Mirren), was not written out at the end of series two. 

Weeks after the reports of his departure, a source close to production told Variety that 'Tom was not fired, the door is not closed for season three, and things are being worked through creatively.' 

The show's executive producer and director Guy Ritchie is said to have had a hand in managing the talks between Hardy and other producers as he 'likes working with Tom'. 

The Mail On Sunday, meanwhile, revealed that bosses have been surprised by the huge backlash from viewers over reports of Tom's departure.

A source said: 'Tom is a star, the audience love him but the bosses underestimated that. They didn't realise the backlash they would get. It has been extraordinary, the vibe they are getting is that there is no MobLand if there is no Tom.

'The whole narrative has changed from them believing they can carry on without him to a huge crisis. It has taken this for them to realise how loved Tom is by the viewers.'

Hardy is said to be 'dead set' on not working beyond the end of this year as he and his actress wife, Charlotte Riley, 44, plan to take several years out to spend with their two children, aged 11 and six.

Hardy is said to have been infuriated by the production constantly being pushed back because of script-writing delays, threatening his family plans.