Contributors

Miranda Collinge This month’s cover story is our features director’s third interview with Tom Hardy for Esquire. This time, they met on his home turf, in south west London. “I’ve undertaken a few of what he calls ‘CIA-style assignations’ with Tom now,” Collinge says, “and it’s always fun to find out what he’s got planned. He was on to something when he suggested we do part of the interview at Homebase — it’s quiet, you are more or less left alone, and you can pick up a socket set on your way out.” Tim Lewis “Call me naïve, but I was taken aback by the relentlessness and viciousness of the backstabbing in British politics,” says the contributing editor, who interviews MP Chuka Umunna, a former Labour leadership candidate. “Sometimes it feels that Umunna has to look out for Conservatives, Labour, everyone.” Lewis is a features writer for The Observer. His book, Land of Second Chances: the Impossible Rise of Rwanda’s Cycling Team (Yellow Jersey) is out now.

Mark Wilding “One question stood out about the Flat Earth cult,” says the Esquire debutant, who investigates the conspiracy theorists on page 122. “What drives someone to question everything they’ve ever known? A recurring theme among Flat Earthers was a loss of faith in experts and institutions. Understanding more about that distrust seems particularly important at a time of rising concern about the post-truth era.” Wilding also writes for The Guardian and Vice. Johnny Davis “Anyone who says they don’t care what people think of how they dress is fibbing,” says our deputy editor. “But men are notoriously bad about asking for advice. So here’s a good idea: we ask 30 people for anonymous feedback on some poor chump’s wardrobe. Less good: that poor chump was me. Reader: I laughed, I cried.” Davis also edits our biannual style bible The Big Black

Book, the next issue of which is published on 13 September.

Greg Williams “I’ve known Tommy since he was 15 and photographed him all over the world,” says Williams, who has shot Tom Hardy’s three Esquire covers. “So it was fun to do a shoot in his home town. My favourite images are from the petrol station in Mortlake with him using the car wash spray as a gun, dressed in a totally pimping Gucci tracksuit in a bright red Audi R8. Every time someone came up for a selfie he’d take the picture and then squirt them as they walked away.”