Tom Hiddleston on his gay fans & sexuality: ‘It’s all good. It’s all ice cream.’

O Dragonflie King, O yonder wanderer. Sorry, I just read a Tom Hiddleston interview and now I want to speak in iambic pentameter. He quotes Shakespeare ALL THE TIME. I think I’ve figured out why Hiddles is rather annoying – he’s like the 9th grade teacher who thinks he’s “down with the kidz” and he’s focused on “making Shakespeare cool” so much so that he seems like a giant dork. I mean, the kids are going to learn some stuff about Shakespeare, but they’re going to be rolling their eyes the whole time. Anyway, you can read Hiddleston’s interview with The Backlot here and here are some highlights:

Hiddles’ first Shakespeare experience: “My first Shakespearean production I ever saw, I was 13 years old. It was the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company), A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I thought some bits were funny but, to be honest, a lot of it went over my head, and it was really being taken to see Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing and sort of being dragged, kicking and screaming because it wasn’t an action film and then go, “Oh. Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves are in this. Oh. This is hilarious and I understand everything and it’s great.”

And more: “And then becoming interested in Kenneth Branagh and watching his Henry V and watching his Hamlet and then also as I was reading it at school – I did English Literature at school – and we were reading Othello and around the same time I went to see this production directed by Sam Mendes before he was a film director. With David Harewood playing Othello and Simon Russell Beale playing Iago and for whatever reason, I was 17 years old, I understood and was riveted by every single word and I thought, ‘Who the hell is this genius?’ and that’s when I was turned on to it. As soon as I went to Cambridge, I didn’t study English. I studied classics but in my spare time I spent the entire time doing plays and I played Romeo, I played Angelo in Measure for Measure and my love for Shakespeare’s gotten bigger, bigger and bigger.

And more: “I was 15 when Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet came out so it’s as if he made that film for me. The soundtrack to that film was my soundtrack. Romeo or Juliet, I can’t remember which character, one of them is actually supposed to be 15 and it seemed so romantic and so true. So I’ve been used to this idea of Shakespeare as being democratic, as being open to interpretation and reinvention and revision in many senses. I just want to keep doing it. It really makes me feel alive. And the older I get, of course, the older we all get, the more you realize how right he is about everything, about love, about fathers and sons or fathers and daughters in King Lear or mothers and sons in Hamlet and Coriolanus or brothers in Lear or lovers in Much Ado… he just gets it. He understands life with such compassion and breadth and depth and he understands the courage and ability and inspiration and fear and doubt and shame and jealousy. I’ve done a lot of Shakespeare.”

Playing Loki: “It’s never really been something I’ve consciously chosen. I really want to stay an actor and it’s wonderful to have success like The Avengers. It’s honestly one of the great unprecedented strange accidents of my life. I was cast in Thor and Avengers with some idea in Kevin Feige’s head and then it became the biggest thing I’ve ever done without question, and on a level that’s actually difficult to process.”

Actors he admires: “But the actors I respected are the ones who just keep acting through thick and thin. It’s John Hurt. It’s Ian McKellen. It’s Anthony Hopkins. They’re still going, so whatever moments of flourishing that I pass through, it’s all temporary. And the thing that keeps you grounded is doing the thing you love. And actually I was cast as Prince Hal before I shot The Avengers. It was around the time that Thor was coming out, and it was so odd because I had five films in the can and none of them had come out and I knew I was making Avengers and I wasn’t being strategic and I didn’t know how any of those films were going to play…those films were Thor, War Horse, Midnight in Paris, The Deep Blue Sea and Archipelago. And by the time I got around to playing Prince Hal, half of those films had been seen by the world and so my position, I suppose, is a bit different but, anyway, it was never a kind of big conscious thing.”

Having gay fans, making “Hot” lists made by gay fans: “Honestly, I’m flattered and proud. I’ve never made a distinction, to be honest. I feel very proud that I’ve grown up as part of a generation that simply doesn’t make a distinction between gay and straight really…it just really isn’t an issue or actually it is. You know you read about what’s happening in Russia and it’s shocking but for me and the circle of friends that I grew up with, the places where I mostly spend my time, it’s like, ‘Oh. So you like strawberry ice cream and you like vanilla ice cream.’ It’s all good. It’s all ice cream. Anyway, I have many, many gay friends and so I am thrilled that they are fans.”

[From The Backlot]

Do you know how much I had to edit out of that interview? SO MUCH. You’ll not that the first three “highlighted” paragraphs I use are all the answer to ONE QUESTION. Hiddles was asked about when he first began to love Shakespeare and he just went on and on and on. And they asked him some stuff about The Hollow Crown and he started doing dialogue analysis. He’s just so… earnest. Is that admirable in this day and age? Or does he come across as humorless and bland? I can’t decide.

Oh, and Marvel released this behind-the-scenes of Thor: The Dark World. Hiddles comes after Portman!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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129 Responses to “Tom Hiddleston on his gay fans & sexuality: ‘It’s all good. It’s all ice cream.’”

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  1. DawnOfDagon says:

    I don’t get the “hatred”. He seems eloquent and likes what he does. He is hardly shoving cocaine in the world’s nostrils, or walking around wasted.

    • sqs says:

      Precisely. Some of the world are into Brit Lit and Shakespeare and I am glad he’ll participate in carrying it forward and making it relevant.

      • Alex says:

        Same here. I don’t get the hatred. So he’s a dork about Shakespeare…so what? I mean there’s a lot of people like that, where you hit on one topic and they could go on for hours and hours about that particular thing. No biggie.

    • Sloane Wyatt says:

      Intelligence is sexy! Hiddles loves timeless themes and that’s what Shakespeare and George Eliot (Huge Fan) give us in spades. The classics teach us the full breadth and width of human nature – more than any self help ever written. Tom wants everyone to experience the sublime, and I applaud him for it.

    • Ag says:

      I don’t get it either. He seems enthusiastic and really into his profession. And gracious. It’s refreshing to see.

    • krat says:

      Yes! As unbelievably smug and smarmy as the Francos and the Hiddlestons may seem, better to value young people who appreciate education more than coke and parties. I think we’ve all had enough Lohans and Kardashians, right?

    • Summer says:

      He seems like a sweet guy who loves his work and who is enthusiastic about it. People who don’t like him don’t have to read his interviews…
      I think it’s rather a nice change.

  2. MonicaQ says:

    I read “Hiddles comes after Portman” and I thought he was dressing up as a grizzly bear and chasing her around set or something. I would’ve died.

  3. Sixer says:

    And, for all those words, nary an opinion expressed. It’s all trite, facile, bland waffling. Just with more syllables than your average starlet. On the upside, I think he’s genuinely unflustered by gay attention. It’s all admiration, after all.

    Why, oh why, would I still hit it?

    He’s not my shamef*ck. He’s my hatef*ck. Wow, I’m in a harsh mood today.

    • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

      I have to agree with you on the opinion thing. He gushes. I often love the gush, agree with the gush, and its easy tomlike, but it’s splashy.

      On the other hand, if that is the worst that can be said of him by the standards of Hollywood, , he’s doing okay.

      Love the ice cream.

    • Sixer says:

      I guess. And I AM ratty today. Work woes. And I suppose, what does it matter if he waffles? When he’s in my parlour, he’s always wearing his gag.

      • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

        He does know that “vanilla” has a specific meaning among the kinky, I hope. I suspect his true flavor is raspberry swirl in a patent leather shoe.

      • Sixer says:

        Haha. I think his true flavour is whatever the other person’s having!

        Oh. Melted ice cream. Licking. Must. Not. Think. Too. Much.

      • Lindy79 says:

        Haha Sixer! I’m agreeing with all of your posts on this.

        Nothing wrong with his love of the Bard (I was one of the few in school who enjoyed it). I just wish he didn’t sound so rehearsed all the time and also didn’t care SO much what everyone thinks of him. He needs to cut the shit with the self help quotes and the over selling certain projects (Disney pirate anyone..), even if he means well and I don’t doubt that he does, it irritates me beyond words.

        (I wonder is he still bumping uglies with Wimbledon gal. That whole thing was hilarious)

      • T.Fanty says:

        @Crumpets,

        I care less about the flavor and more about where it is spread.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @T. Fanty: *snickers* like Muttley

    • LilyRose says:

      I will say, compared to the 10 minute answer Cumby (yes! first!) gave the Vogue writer that amounted to “no,” Hiddles gets dogged for rambling about Shakespeare. The poor boy can never get one right.

      • T.Fanty says:

        I know. And – gasp! – dare I say it, but if you compare the two, TommyAnne is actually smarter than Cumby. Cumby talks and talks and talks and impresses everyone with his vocabulary, but he actually probably says less than TommyAnne most of the time. I was shocked at how little interview there actually was in the Vogue piece.

      • LilyRose says:

        I wrote in the Cumby post that the writer deserved some credit for molding what seemed to be a bunch of ramblings and non sequiturs into a coherent profile piece. I think he did say something of substance. The first time he saw a play, and how it was a gradual interest in the work. That’s what I got from it.

    • T.Fanty says:

      @Sixer: You *are* in a harsh mood. And not the only one around here today.

      I actually feel the need to defend TommyAnne when it comes to Shakespeare (ducks in case missiles are coming my way). I’ve heard him talk about Shakespeare a lot and he knows it well (apart from that apparent brain fart on R&J, but you can hardly blame the poor boy for blocking that piece of crap from his mind). He talks like he knows it, and loves it. To be honest, he sounds like a lot of people in my line of work. I don’t have a problem with him not having a clear thesis on this topic.

      Plus, it’s like the marriage thing with Cumby – everyone knows they’ll get a good quote, so everyone asks about it, I’m sure.

    • Sixer says:

      Oh, now I feel guilty!

      I don’t know why TommyannE gets my goat so much more than Benny the Bitch does. It isn’t fair.

      Inverted snobbery? I know the guy had all the advantages Eton can give and I know Classics isn’t exactly the most demanding of arts degrees. Even with all that, though, you don’t get a double first from Cambridge and not have a decent brain. But I feel condescended to by TommyannE’s waffle. It’s as if he’s throwing in a few polysyllables to impress me but assumes I’m too stupid to understand any actual points he wants to make.

      I don’t know why I can’t take it at face value as enthusiastic gushing and nothing more.

      Maybe I just want more from him so I can go for a full-on Thornfield wedding? Is it that tragic?!

      PS: No missiles from me. I prefer to be called out when it’s needed.

      • T.Fanty says:

        You can have your full-on Thornfield wedding. We’ll just keep the gag in and he can hand signal “I do.”

        You see, that’s how I feel about Cumby. I believe TommyAnne genuinely is trying to impart his own education, and condescending as it may be, I think it comes from an awareness that he’s been privileged enough to experience this as part of his upbringing. Cumby, as I have always maintained, is an incorrigible social climber, and the name-dropping goes hand in hand with him shoving his vocabulary down our throats to show that he’s educated, and yet he actually says very little of substance. I think that when he’s keeping Benny the Bitch on a tight leash, he actually has very little to say for himself.

      • Sixer says:

        We can teach him BSL (or ASL if he gets any more decent Hollywood roles)! Perfecto! I shall wear my Portia outfit and be merciful with the tightness of the gag.

        Ack. Perhaps I just enjoy the gag thing too much and don’t really want him to redeem himself in case I feel obliged to take it out.

      • T.Fanty says:

        I shall wear my Antonio outfit and we shall share him. Pass me the ring.

      • Sixer says:

        TommyannE has it ready for you/us. On our special tray.

      • LilyRose says:

        @Sixer,

        Oh Sixer, give Professor Hiddleston a break. He’s trying for tenure and the grad assistants are a mess. Like he has time to read another dissertation on the postmodern nuances, and class intersectionality in Shakespeare’s England. He’s been looking forward to that sabbatical he was told he could take two years ago. It still hasn’t been approved.

      • Sixer says:

        @ LilyRose: That made me laugh out loud! I am SO bitchslapped in this little portion of the thread.

      • LilyRose says:

        Your welcome? I think.

      • DahliaDee says:

        @T.Fanty:

        Thank you for saying that about TommyAnnE vs Drunk Uncle Cumby. That is exactly the reason why DUC made me uncomfortable in liking him. Oh, I appreciate his acting, I think he’s riveting, but I simply don’t like him anymore. Tom on the other hand strikes me as genuine. I honestly think it’s just the joy and enthusiasm of sharing with him. I can certainly understand that. When you feel passionately about something and you just want to gush about it to everyone, just spread that love for an author, or a film. There is no small number of friends I have badgered into reading Tolkien, or Pratchett, or Gaiman, or Harry Potter or watching Doctor Who, or listening to Leonard Cohen by talking a blue streak on the topics. And you know, people don’t give me near as much grief about it as you’d expect, certainly not as much as I would expect them to.

      • Sixer says:

        Ok. Look. I am happy to concede I was being a picky, snotty bootbag. And that I am a flibbertigibbet who lets off Benny the Bitch for similar sins of nonsense-spouting but moans on and on and Ariston about TommyannE.

        But… but, but, but, BUT. When TommyannE gives exactly the same interview full of superlatives about Captain Hook as he does about Hamlet or Lear or Macbeth, verbatim except for a semi-colon here and there, I’m going to side-eye big. And I’m going to wonder if anything he says about Shakespeare is actually genuine and/or heartfelt. Or if it’s simply calibrated to an audience he condescendingly assumes is easily blindsided by a bit of superficial gushery.

        (I’m going through with the wedding, though).

  4. aims says:

    I had the same love for the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack. I still have it somewhere, and I played it to death.

  5. LadyRay says:

    Rawr, do me baby.

  6. Allijo says:

    Last week was my nephew’s 3rd bday party, and when it was cake time we all (30 of us) started singing “Happy Birthday” and he immediately screamed “NO!” and started bawling. On the drive home, my brother asked him why he got so upset and my nephew said, “I just DON’T like that song.” So of course then anytime his birthday, birthday party, or birthday presents were mentioned one of us in the room would start singing Happy Birthday until he started shouting “NO!” again and would stomp his feet or hit his hand on a table.

    This is how I feel about Hiddleston when he opens his mouth.

    • mom2two says:

      I feel the same. I do think he’s a nice guy and means well. But I get the feeling he feels like he has the need to prove to everyone that he has acting chops and a brain. All he has to do is keep doing good work, that can be his proof.

  7. Algernon says:

    I think earnest is the perfect word for him. He’s very, very earnest. I’d rather deal with his brand of earnestness than a smug a-hole like Justin Timberlake, or Amber Heard who keeps selling us a highly constructed and seemingly false narrative. Tom Hiddleston is a drama nerd made good. The day he turns into a smug a-hole is the day I’ll go off him, but until then, it’s just, “Oh Tom. You big, beautiful DORK”.

  8. Anna says:

    He is so cute. I will take a big dork any day. He is my strawberry ice cream.

    Also, so great to finally see something new from Thor 2! I feel like the movie is almost here but the marketing onslaught is still waiting to take off.

  9. Lexi says:

    There’s so much negativity for him quoting Shakespeare in his interviews, I don’t get it.
    All I can think of is….y’all would’ve hated me and my friends that I had in my Shakespeare Studies class at university.lol All we did was analyze Shakespeare and we loved talking about it in and out of class. Personally I love when Hiddles talks about Shakespeare, he would’ve fit right in with us “dorks”. haha I mean…my ring I wear everyday even has a Shakespeare quote. Ahhh please don’t attack! I feel like I’m about to be stuffed into a high school locker lol.

    • Sixer says:

      Oh no, Lexi, I’m all for discussing Shakespeare. Truly. It’s just when you sit down and precis what TommyannE has actually SAID, it’s sixpennorth of nothing. It all boils down to “Shakespeare is great”. “Why is he great, Tom?” “Because he’s (insert a bazillion synonyms for great here)”. Thassit.

      • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

        Shakespeare and poetry nerd here: thank you for saying this Sixer.

        Though I have heard interviews where he has really discussed Shakespeare and I know he has plenty to say when he a.) has the space for it and b.) puts aside trying to be pleasing.

        To be fair, he is in audition mode (whenever he drops names I wonder if he is pitching to work with the person in question), and he is about to go full on promo for Thor 2. We’re going to be hearing a lot of very safe stuff.

      • Sixer says:

        C&C – I think I must only ever get to read/see the nonsense and not the good stuff, if you and Fanty are both telling me this. If you’ve got quick access to something I can read, I’d love a link. I might reform my anti-TommyannE character!

      • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

        I don’t have anything hugely deep, just comments that he has made where suddenly it is clear that he actually does know a few things. Example, pointing out that though MND is a comedy, it is one in which the characters are often very cruel, and that this is what would make it so interesting to play. In the interview, he didn’t go further than that, but this was where I thought “ah this is more like it. He is not another James Franco. There is potential here.” I hope this helps. I have no desire to dilute your snark though– I love what you have to say, and I think it is usually spot on.

      • Sixer says:

        Well, snark is funny but I’m not usually a snarky gal. TommyannE sure does bring it out in me though! I think I might invent a Generosity Filter and use it whenever he appears.

        *makes off for the Top Secret Sixer Laboratory*

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @Sixer: “If you’ve got quick access to something I can read, I’d love a link.”

        http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/t/tom_hiddleston.html

      • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

        Sloane, sorry but a lot of those quotes are Hiddles at his bumperstocker worst. Brainy quote is not always brainy.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @Crumpets & Crotchshots:

        With the caveat “What is food for one man may be bitter poison to others.” in mind, I found many of Hiddleston’s quotes in the cited link to be illuminating. I especially liked “In our increasingly secular society, with so many disparate gods and different faiths, superhero films present a unique canvas upon which our shared hopes, dreams and apocalyptic nightmares can be projected and played out.”

        If you have better links to give Sixer, please have at it.

      • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

        Well that’s just it– I think with the exception of occasional breakthroughs on the topic of Shakespeare, there isn’t much. He loves the broad sweeping comments that are easy to agree with, but don’t go to a very deep place and offer little in the way of a real point of view. Bumper stickers, in other words.

        That said, i think he is capable of better, and maybe movie promo interviews are not the proper place to expect what I would call a truly brainy quote.

      • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

        The quote you cited for example is just recycled Joseph Campbell. It’s not even original. It’s a worthy idea, but he is not doing anything with it. It’s just another something for the fans sound byte.

      • Sixer says:

        @ Sloane: I’m afraid I’m in agreement with Crumpets. These are all examples of things TommyannE says that make me weep and wail and gnash my teeth. But a big thank you for taking the time and trouble to find a link. I appreciate the kindness.

    • LilyRose says:

      @Lexi

      I saw the Simon Schama’s Shakespeare series he did a while ago, and in it was Andrew Scott doing a reading of Richard III and as Malcolm (Macbeth) Holy sdhtisfsasdad! I would love love to see more of him doing Shakespeare. I know very little about him outside of his role as Moriarty and some of the smaller parts in The Hour and Blackout. But the two minute clips are so good.

    • EscapedConvent says:

      @ Lexi,

      As someone who once saw a kid get stuffed into a high school locker (upside down, & not because of Shakespeare) 😉 may I just say that this discussion is a good example of why I come to CB. You can get gossip lots of places. You can’t necessarily get thoughtful people with their own opinions.

  10. LilyRose says:

    You know what it is about Hiddles? He’s not bipolar or manic-depressive, or has TMJ… he has MCS. Middle Child Syndrome.

    *drops mic*

    • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

      Awwww so true. He can be such a Jan Brady. “Benedict, Benedict, Benedict!”

      • LilyRose says:

        Yup. Benedict is Marcia and Tom is Jan. Marcia is a rambler too, but oh how wonderful for her. But when Jan does it, it’s OTT and annoying. Where’s Greg when you need him?

  11. Hazel says:

    I love him, I love him.

  12. vv says:

    I actually really dig this guy (and no I don’t care about Loki, at all) and I find his answers interesting. I like reading what he has to say no matter if it is sort of ramble-y and long winded. He gives a great interview and I really do want to read and learn more about him 🙂

  13. Yoyo says:

    Too much attention for this guy. When he gets a real role instead of Playing cosplay then we can talk.

  14. Dis says:

    He is soooooo average looking at best. He is not that cute at all. I don’t see how he ends up on anyones hot list. Average looking dude with an english accent..typical

    • Mars says:

      Yeah I dont get the hype for him either. But it will die down as soon as the Loki get up goes away.

    • Malificent says:

      And what should he do to stop being average looking? Get plastic surgery?

      Hot isn’t about what you were born with, it’s about how you work what your mama gave ya.

      Judge him for not having a hot personality if you want — but don’t get snippy about things that can’t reasonably be changed.

  15. Timmy says:

    People dont like him because he comes off as a try hard. He has had it easy up to now. But another reason is because of his “fans”. God I dread when Thor 2 comes out cause all you will hear is the loki ass kissing from a bunch of horny women.

  16. Sonya says:

    Yay this guy again yay!!!! Seriously though I wish he would go away. And is he bi-polar? And his looks are below avg. I cannot get into this guy.

  17. Q says:

    He doesn’t do it for me SORRY. Is he a nice guy? Probably but I just cannot get into him. He seems like that kid in school that tries to get all the other kids to like him.

  18. Ginger says:

    Since I am both a giant dork and Shakespeare nerd (we share a birthday) I find his Shakespeare fetish sexy (sorry) commence eye rolling…

    • EscapedConvent says:

      Nothing wrong with that, Ginger. My eyes will not be rolling!

      & Happy Shakespearean Birthday to you! *curtsy* 😉

  19. Browniecakes says:

    TH follows on Twitter 10, yes ten, TH fan sites. I am following each of them too to find out what it’s all about. One is a waste of time but the other 9 all have relevant info from around the world re: TH. Others have funny cartoons or beautiful artwork re: TH. Some are the fans that united to support TH as a group for UNICEF. Not as creepy as I thought. And how would TH ever Unfollow them really?!

    • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

      He loves himself…..

    • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

      In all seriousness, his Twitter presence has never been about anything but promotion with his fans. His presence for the last several months has been minimal. This is probably healthy.

      • Lindy79 says:

        This. He cared way too much about the number of followers he had.

      • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

        I think he still does, in a purely pr sense. He eggs on his fans a lot. It’s a numbers game, but his numbers even after all of this are fairly modest..

  20. Side-Eye says:

    I am just not here for Tom Hiddleston at all anymore. I’ve tried to reignite my feelings for him, but he comes across as twice as try-hard and kind of fake with only a quarter of the talent of the other people in his bracket like Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, and Michael Fassbender. He doesn’t even have the “not-a-great-only decent-actor” likability of people like Cavill, because Henry at least comes across as genuinely awkward and shy and doesn’t make this attempt at pseudo-intellectualism. And he’s also much, much, MUCH, more physically attractive.

    *sad sigh*

    Sorry,Tom.

    Also, brief hijack–did anyone see Cumberbatch throw shade at the UK government about the Greendwald situation?

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/benedict-cumberbatch-sherlock-set-sign-setlock

    I know this isn’t groundbreaking or anything, but it’s important to me at least because the whole Bradley Manning situation has just sickened and disturbed me on various levels.

    • Sloane Wyatt says:

      Thanks, Side-Eye, for the link.

      Bradley Manning, Snowden, Assange are heroes. Now, Cumby is throwing the spotlight on the heavy handed despotic UK and USA attempted intimidation of a free press and a free people. I love Hiddles and Cumberbatch talking about ideas that matter.

      • Side-Eye says:

        This isn’t the first time I’ve actually nodded my head at something outside of acting that he’s done. What I like about him is that he also does really good and committed charity work, but he’s typically low-key about it, which is something I’ve always found admirable in people like Christian Bale(and Charlie Sheen before he went insane). I like this side of him coming out more aggressively now–I’m not entirely obsessed with people’s personal lives, but any attention brought to the bullshit espoused by the US government gets a cosign from me. Ben wasn’t on my favorite actors list–he was more on the “ones to watch” filter, but he’s definitely been added now!

    • Crumpets & Crotchshots says:

      There you see: here is someone who is willing to have an actual opinion.

    • Janey says:

      Tom Hiddleston isn’t exactly an idiot – as someone else has said, a double first from Cambridge isn’t the sign of a dummy (I may be slightly defensive as I study classics) I think part of his education at RADA encouraged him to see Shakespeare as providing all the answers, I’ve always found it a bit odd that he doesn’t mention Virgil or Homer, say, being that he studied classics but maybe he figures Shakespeare is more accessible, because most people will have a grounding in it. I also think he is actually smarter than Cumby – Cumby is well educated and engaged, Hiddles, I think, is an intelligent guy, with a good education.

      As to the lastest sign, I can’t with this. It’s not engendering debate or discussion, it’s dictating to people – telling them what they should be asking/thinking. There are many platforms for Cumby to get this message out – we have newsnight/question time and they would be happy to have him (I would imagine – Hiddles has done Newsnight and Russell Brand QT) but he hasn’t done that, he holds up signs to the paps, using his public position to get a message out, then not engaging any further. It’s total have my cake and eat it stuff – he wants to publicise socio-political messages, but doesn’t want to deal with a potential backlash, or get bogged down as “that british actor who’s into politics” And it makes me ragey, because if he wanted to, he could say more, engage more – he is a succesful, white, old Harrovian male – swap out the public school and you have a description of the British establishment. On a bitchier note – I’m waiting to see if he’ll say anything about the winter olympics, purely to see if there is any connection made to the russian model (I’m really sorry, I can’t remember her name and google is all the way over there)

    • icerose says:

      Benedict’s display of foot stamping because a few journalists along with fans were trying to snap photos was pretty vacuous. The second sign re government leaks did not even have the facts right and reeked of promotion for his new film which is just about to come out. I think he is a pretty good actor but when he resorts to childish displays to put across “his concerns” I loose respect for him.In the end it pleases his fans and gives the paper’s something to right about and that’s it.

      • Janey says:

        What’s troubling you about it? Actual, honest to god, genuine question – My post was a bit ranty.

  21. Lindy79 says:

    Saw that (I posted it but it seems to have disappeared. .bloody phone).
    He’ll get crucified by folks who hate him for this. Im ashamed to say his sign is the first time I had heard of this story. He knew it would get press and attention and given the Manning sentence, I understand why he’s done this.

    • Sloane Wyatt says:

      Even my crusty tea partier dad says Snowden and Manning are patriots. On the street, (not what’s filtered to us in the media), the right and the left come together on the idea that we have inalienable privacy rights and especially the right to a free press.

    • Side-Eye says:

      Right. Just like his telling the paparazzi to piss off was seen as snobby and insulting to photojournalists somehow, I’m sure people will be saying he’s just being an attention whore for his movie. (Even though I do seem to recall him speaking out about the government before he got really huge.)

      • Lindy79 says:

        ONTD who mostly hate him seem to get why he’s done it.
        I get why people eye roll at what they see as celebs telling them what to think/do but sometimes it genuinely helps get a message out. Like it or not we live in a society where people are more inclined to listen to celebs so I just see this as him getting to say something he feels strongly about and get awareness out there. May as well use the strong following he has. I feel theres more thought put into this than retweets of a charity tweet.

      • Side-Eye says:

        Exactly. It’s like if celebrities don’t talk about important subjects they’re basic and ignorant about the world, but if they actually do say something they’re posers. While I can kind of get both sides, what in the hell do people want? Also, I’m loving the shade being thrown at our special Dragonfly, because I’m just completely over it.

    • LilyRose says:

      Things like this always remind me of the Chapelle bit about how he didn’t know how to feel about 9-11 until he heard from Ja Rule.

      “WHERE IS JA? Help me Ja Rule.”

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo-ddYhXAZc

      • Side-Eye says:

        I just want to say thank you, LilyRose, for bringing back that Chappelle clip, because I’m CRYING right now.

      • LilyRose says:

        😀 No problem. The whole bit is spot on. He goes on to talk about how Bill Cosby got in trouble for voicing an opinion. I wish Chapelle would come back. Have you seen his Actor’s Studio interview? It is quite compelling.

      • Side-Eye says:

        I haven’t actually–I’ll probably check it out. The man is not only hilarious, but also comes across as very intelligent.(Which is true of most of the good comedians I’ve seen.) Did you see his whole skit about the black girl who escaped from her kidnapper? That was spot on as well.

      • Lindy79 says:

        I’ve never seen that before!
        That’s my evening viewing sorted now. I’ll be watching clips for hours

      • LilyRose says:

        I’ll have to look it up. I think he’s a very observant person/comedian. He (used to/ still/ maybe) indulges in casual sexism a bit too much for my taste. And not the kind that questions it but kind of holds it up as a matter of fact. But that was then. So who knows how he views that slice of life. But still pretty intelligent as you said. On the ItAS He discusses the reason, well he touches upon it a little bit, why he walked away from his show on CC. Great stuff.

      • Side-Eye says:

        There ya go:

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75XKGVwGEt4

        In this one, he’s talking about the disparity between how the media displays children based on race. Hilarious, but sprinkled with truth as always. I can see how some of his stuff can be offensive, but as a woman, I’ve never personally any type of way because for one I realize that it’s comedy and an exaggeration of observations made. He seems pretty awesome offstage too, so *shrug*

      • LilyRose says:

        I remember that story of the girl who chewed through the ropes. It’s true. I remember a bit I heard on the radio from a stand up routine (I can’t remember the comedian’s name) but he made a comparison between Natalie Holloway and the Peruvian woman that guy killed. The audience member could name Natalie but couldn’t do so for Stephanie Flores. And the comedian is like “told ya!”

        I get the comedy stuff. Comedy is where I go to get some perspective. George Carlin is one of my all time favorites and he said some really great things about women and how society treats them. I can only think of one or two instances where one of Chapelle’s jokes made me wince in a “ha-ha I’m not sure about that” way. A couple of months ago there was this controversy, for lack of a better word, surrounding the boys club of stand up. I guess it’s still fresh in my mind.

        But you know, Dylan Moran 🙂
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJdprkOVyno

      • EscapedConvent says:

        @LilyRose,

        Hi, LilyRose, just wondered what you thought of Bill Hicks. He is my Forever Comic. I so wish he was still here.

        I agree about perspective—there’s no better place to get it.

      • LilyRose says:

        @EsCon,

        Howdy! The only bits of Bill Hicks I know are the one on marketing and little bits from that stand up. But i have no real knowledge of him or his work. I know he passed away young and have heard his name here and there. But I’m intrigued and will watch some of his stand up over the weekend. 🙂

      • EscapedConvent says:

        @LilyRose,

        I didn’t know there was so much Bill Hicks on Youtube. The very first link, which was an HBO special “Live In Chicago” is a good representation of his act.

        Hope you enjoy. 😉

  22. Dani says:

    I like him, I think he’s a good actor and he’s cute and eloquent and earnest. But sometimes he really just needs to shhhhhh. Like, answer the question, don’t over do it. There are times when quoting shakespeare is acceptable and there are times where you just don’t. He can’t differentiate.

    • Browniecakes says:

      I start to feel sorry for the interviewer/camera person. Especially the red carpet interviews. I imagine the reporter is starting to sweat wondering when TH will be done answering question 1, and if he can get in a question 2. Meanwhile watching other celebs pass by he wanted to interview as well!
      I do love him. He is eloquent and does not get tripped up by oddball questions.

  23. Miss M says:

    I didn’t know that being well educated and knowledgeable about Shakespeare were bad qualities to have. God good, people judge Tom too much! Like someone said, he is not doing lines of c*ke and getting DUI’s, you know?! (Something like that)

    • Side-Eye says:

      I don’t think the dislike for him comes from him quoting Shakespeare( a lot of people on here I’ve seen quite enjoy Shakespeare and all that) but more from the fact that he comes across as try-hard, and shallow(others words, not mine, because I’m not a huge fan of Shakespeare) interpretation of his work that sounds copy-and-pasted, and his perceived slactivism that is hailed as so holy and special when he hasn’t actually gone in the way of actually doing all that much in regards to his efforts and all that. These are just my observations on where the negativity comes from.

      And for me, he just comes across as really fake sometimes. I don’t know, maybe it’s just the over saturation and hype he gets from his fans, but I’m not feeling it, especially since a lot of his answers remind me of those bullshit dissertations tumblr stans are constantly wasting their life on every time Loki so much as lifts a hand or waters his eyes. It’s like–it’s not that freaking deep dude.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        IMO, even the most cursory knowledge of Shakespeare is refreshing.

      • Miss M says:

        @Sloane Wyatt: I agree with you!

        @Side-Eye: He went to RADA. Of course, he will be talking about Shakespeare. Prio to that, he studying in some of the best schools in England. Yes, he is smart. I guess he doesn’t sound good in print as he does in a live interview.

      • Side-Eye says:

        Okay, so I’m going to go on a rant here, because people keep bringing up Shakespeare like it’s supposed to be this holy mark of his talent or something. But I don’t understand why that’s so special or important when everyone in his category has done that. He’s not working on Shakespeare in these interviews–he’s doing Loki and a pirate. How does that link back in any way to Shakespeare. All those in his bracket have studied Shakespeare–hell, I’ve studied Shakespeare–but I don’t hear them bringing it up constantly where it doesn’t really fit and don’t know why it makes him so special or “oh-so-cultured” and intelligent. Anyone in my tenth grade class can come up with some of the quotes he has. If he was actually working on some deep, complex characters that tied in with it all, I might get it, but he’s not this eloquent type character. And as far as him going to the best schools, the dude comes from old money. Of course he’s getting into the best. Not to say that rich people can’t be intelligent too, but let’s not act like he was struggling at the bottom of the barrel and got in on scholarship or something.

        *takes breath*

        I just don’t get why it’s so cool or fascinating, but then I’m not that huge of a Shakespeare fan.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @Side-Eye says: “He’s not working on Shakespeare in these interviews–he’s doing Loki and a pirate. How does that link back in any way to Shakespeare.”?

        Tom’s been quoted saying “In fact, Loki is quite Shakespearian himself. My inspirations for building Loki were from Shakespeare.

        Hiddleston said in a Television Critics Association panel on Monday that he saw similarities between Hal and Loki, the Norse God of Mischief he played in “Thor” and “The Avengers.” So did his “Thor” director, Shakespearean actor and director Kenneth Branagh.

        “When I was building Loki as a character with Kenneth Branagh, all of my references — both of our references — were Shakespearean,” said Hiddleston (pictured with “Crown” executive producer David Horn). “There’s a version of Loki in Branagh’s film that is sort of Prince Hal-like. He’s a prince wrestling with the authority of his father.

        And I was borrowing from Julius Caesar: ‘Cassius has a lean and hungry look.’ I was stealing from Iago and his capacity for strategy and tact. He’s an immaculate tactician who’s acting out of self interest. … I think he’s quite a Shakespearean villain, in many regards.” – http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/tca-tom-hiddleston-move-avengers-shakespeare-loki-quite-shakespearean-villain-108496

  24. Opium says:

    I’ve tried liking him but I just can’t. Something about him annoys me and alot of people. He really is not that attractive although I will say he is looking better these days compared to the 1st Thor film cause he was a pale fugly man. I mean what else is he really known for besides portraying a bad guy? I know he has done other things but we all know he wants that Hollywood career also(which isn’t a bad thing if YOU CHOOSE the right projects). Too much hype for a guy who hasn’t had a real breakout.

  25. Anniegetyourfun says:

    He looks like a manically grinning 50 year auntie in the top photo.

  26. EscapedConvent says:

    What’s the damage, Heather? I don’t get it. There’s nothing wrong with this interview. What’s wrong with him being enthusiastic & hopped up on Shakespeare?

    The more people who get turned on to Willie Shakes the better, I say. You ripple this mentality out far enough, you’ve got World Peace.

  27. Trent says:

    Whats with the he can quote shakespeare admiration society? Are people aware that every british actor that is classically trained is trained in shakespeare. And most of the people you admire on this site, Hardy, Ejiofor, Cumberbatch, Fassbender have had a classic drama school background. Even the young ones like Andrew Garfield has this kind of training. Garfield won a best newcomer award for his Romeo, Ejifor played romeo too and starred as Othello in a now legendary production. Cumberbatch made his name in Macbeth, actually hardy had a really good stage career as did Daniel Craig yet hiddleston is the only one who talks about shakespeare constantly…

    • Side-Eye says:

      ^^^Exactly.

    • Janey says:

      Cumberbatch made his name in Macbeth? He’s never played Macbeth – though he should, because that would be amaze – he was in Rattigan’s After the Dance, I thought that was one of the things that made people start to notice him?

      • icerose says:

        re Macbeth. Most of his Shakespearean roles were not that significant and were part of open air performances. He won his first awards for Hedda Gabler and Frankienstien and it was his TV work that brought him a bigger audience.
        It is always a bit pointless to compare actors as so often they have different career trajectories and acting styles. BC has been around a lot longer and has played made many TV appearances before Sherlock brought him his current fan base. Toms trajectory has been much more meteoric having pretty much played lead roles since he left Rada.So comparing them does niether of them justice. And for the record Fassbinder has no Shakespeare on his CV and very little theatre and he did not train at RADA which does have an emphasis on stage work. Most of his success has been in films

  28. Marie says:

    I love Shakespeare, and I will blab about it whenever someone asks (which is rare), so I can hardly fault the guy for talking about it a lot. Don’t forget that he’s in promo mode for PBS! I do find his current image dullsville, and I don’t believe for a second that he & his team aren’t aware of the fact that his trouser snake is blatantly visible and discussed, so the Shakespeare yammering is the least of his issues at the moment.

  29. allons-y alonso says:

    Aw man, now I want ice cream. Damn you, Hiddleston! *shakes fist* (and yes dear, there’s no 4th wall here. We know you or probably someone you know is reading this).

    I was one of the few that loved Shakespeare in school. My year 10 english teacher had an enormous crush on Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V. It was adorable to see such a normally stern and severe woman melt at the ‘Once more unto the breach…’ speech in ACT III.

  30. Hanko says:

    Are you all complaining about celebrity not being dumb? Sentences too long to read by sipping coffee??
    He is smart, I like it, but visually (being a gay guy) there is nothing atractive about him, he looks adolescent, hungry & twinkish

    • icerose says:

      “””he looks adolescent, hungry & twinkish””””Love this description.
      In many ways it is why I like him. I much prefer my actors to be intelligent nerds and he does have an adolescent enthusiasm which is quite refreshing and endearing.

  31. icerose says:

    What a great interview.I think he does a great job at getting the answers long enough to be able to say something interesting but not so long that readers just turn off.Of course he is talking Shakespeare at the moment because the PBS series where he plays the lead role in three episodes is about to broadcast and he is about to appear on stage in Coriolanus. I love his passion for Shakespeare and eloquence. He is not attempting to be an expert -he just tells us where the roots of this love grew from. Tom has said that his mother took him to many performances at the RSC so it predates his acting days. I also love that he is very subtle re giving his opinions. His appeal is quite generic and not purely based on looks and star crushes as is so common with many actors. And as he says negativism in the long run is wasted energy so if whenever I decide to stop following his career I shall just let it pass without feeling the need to justify it through criticism.

  32. Amanda says:

    I like him. I don’t find him sexy when he’s not in character as Loki, but he seems like a really genuine guy. His geeky, bubbly, all-consuming passion for theatre reminds me of a lot of people I know in the classical music industry. And I can relate to him – his experience of getting into Shakespeare as a teenager after being into action films reminds me of what it felt like to suddenly become obsessed with classical music and composers as a teenager, after years and years of only listening to rock music with electric guitars.

  33. MissThing says:

    I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We attention craving extroverts simply can’t help ourselves. He is no different than I would be if I were in his position.

    He is self conscious to the point of feeling like he has to be vague and non-committal let he screw himself over in a very cut throat business.

    He is a fanboy through and though.

    He is the classic dork who grew up with a very stern disapproving father. Are you surprised he craves validation?

    I think he is smarter than Cumby overall but Cumby has a better handle on his career track.

    I also think Tom is very attractive and it is the very qualities that many here bitch about that makes him endearing. Kind of like a kicked puppy who needs loving. That is his lot in life and many females respond to it.

  34. Maria says:

    I get the impression that he is totally enjoying where his career is taking him. Good for him.