I have to say, despite not liking that particular version of Persuasion, it was probably the first thing Rupert Penry Jones ever did that got my attention and held it. I'd always thought of him as a weak actor but his Captain Wentworth was surprisingly engaging for me.

I loved Tom Hardy in Oliver Twist. I've actually been a bit of a Tom Hardy fan since Cape Wrath and now Inception and yes, so much agreement that he managed to bring some amount of shading to an otherwise completely thankless role. You might enjoy the latest Wuthering Heights that stars Hardy as Heathcliff. I didn't like it all that much myself but I think it had more to do with the story as I've always loathed Wuthering Heights.