Tom Hardy upset by Child 44 ban in Russia

Inception star Tom Hardy is upset his latest film has been banned in Russia because he was looking forward to promoting it there.

The Brit plays a Russian agent on the hunt for a serial killer in Child 44, which was pulled from cinemas earlier this week (beg13Apr15) by Culture Ministry officials following concerns it offered a terrible depiction of the nation during the Josef Stalin era.

One official claimed "the distortion of historical facts and the interpretation of events" is intolerable, while Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky claims the movie depicts Russians as "physically and morally base sub-humans".

Responding to the ban on the red carpet at the film's London premiere on Thursday (16Apr15), Hardy said, "I really like Russia so I'm a bit upset that I can't go there and meet people. I've got huge respect for the Russians, their culture, art and history.

"It's a bit of a shame, but I also appreciate that they've got the anniversary (of the end of the Second World War) coming up. It's a film at the end of the day - it's fiction."

Co-star Noomi Rapace added, "It's sad. I want as many people (as possible) to see it (film). For me it's a piece of art. It's not something we are trading for the truth. It's something we did together and we brought life to those characters."