Here are some photos of Tom Hiddleston at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere/screening of The Night Manager on Friday. He looked really beautiful, but he’s been looking great for the entirety of his American tour. I’d also like to believe that he’s finally embraced his palenesss and we’re no longer going to get Bizarrely Orange Tom on a red carpet. Anyway, he’s been in America for something like three weeks now, doing premieres, screenings, awards shows and press. He must have brought a trunk full of suits, polka-dotted socks and pocket squares. And he’s been on his best behavior too – there’s no awkward, puppy-ish Tom, no try-harding. It’s nice. Although I do sort of miss the bloke who would recite sonnets to swans in front of journalists.
Tom and Hugh Laurie chatted with Yahoo last week, and it’s a pretty decent read – you can read the full piece here. Here are some of the best quotes from Tom:
Whether he would be a good spy: “I don’t know that I’d make a very good spy… Let’s be honest, I’d make a hopeless spy because people know who I am. It would be very obvious.”
He’s a lot like his Night Manager character: “Pine felt strangely new for me as an actor because it felt quite close to home — I haven’t played close to home. I’ve played at the extremes of my range — Loki and Hank Williams are quite far away from me. With Pine, there was a lot in him that I could relate to. It was something about his moral conviction. His private soul. He’s very hard — he keeps his cards close to his chest, and I think that’s very true of me.”
He & Hugh Laurie had to play tennis on-camera: “I aced Laurie, it’s on camera, and he found it, frankly, f–king infuriating, because he’s brilliant at everything.”
His character is a lot like the villain, Roper: “Pine is drawn to Roper because actually, they’re quite similar. And Roper is drawn to Pine because he recognizes that similarity. They play tennis together, they share the same frame of reference. I hope the audience wonders whether Pine will be turned to the dark side and truly become a member of Roper’s crew. That’s the fascinating question mark within him.”
The James Bond question: “Yes, I have been asked the Bond question before. I love Bond. I’m such a fan; I get excited when I hear the theme tune. But I leave that to the judges, whoever that may be.”
“It was something about his moral conviction. His private soul. He’s very hard — he keeps his cards close to his chest, and I think that’s very true of me…” Is it though? Is it true of Hiddles? While I used to think Hiddles was an open book – the happy-go-lucky puppy, so excited to be included that he might pee himself – perhaps there always has been something darker, something more private, something hidden. But is Tom “hard”? I’m not saying that in a joking way (although yes, I would love to know if Tom is hard RIGHT NOW), but is he a “hard” man? If anything, I think he’s a sensitive soul who tries to tamp down his more emotional nature. Hm.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Tennis against Hugh Laurie. Squash against Jeremy Irons. From now on, all of Tom’s projects must contain an athletic competition. Next up: the long jump versus Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo
It’s fun to imagine is how super-competitive he probably is. I’ll bet he worked so hard to crush Laurie, and offered a completely insincere apology afterwards, to mask how satisfied he was.
The zip-lining video from Vietnam, he finishes with a backflip dive into the water while the guy he’s with just sort of crash lands into the water. Tom wins!
Love to see this. Hugh Laurie’s reaction would be hilarious as both would be perfectly aware that Hiddles loved his victory.
Putt putt with RDJ.
Beach volleyball with Chris Evans.
Water polo with Idris Elba.
Dodgeball with Cate Blanchett.
Twister with Timothy Olyphant
Go-carting with Michael Fassbender
Horseback riding with Lee Pace
Scrabble with Martin Freeman (with extra ‘F’ tiles added for good measure)
Oh wait, you were talking about Tom’s costars, not my own personal wish list. Excuse me while I go back to the drawing board…hmm, Pictionary with Stephen Colbert *adds that to the list*
@dara, I’ll allow it. Holy hell, will I allow it.
If anyone needs me, I’ll be staring out the window and mentally composing Hiddle-phant Twister fanfiction for the remainder of the day.
Also, “extra ‘F’ tiles” made me laugh. 🙂
Lets be fair he should have been able to ace Hugh and Jeremy – they are both old enough to be his dad.
You have to be hard in the business he’s in. Ambition is not a character softener . . . and I also don’t think he’s ever been an “open book”. I think there’s a great deal we haven’t seen of Mr. Tom. Which is fine. Actors owe us good performances, and that’s all they owe us.
I’ve never thought he was an “open book.” He keeps his private life private, which is actually refreshing.
Hmm, yes. Very early on he had a very open, engaging manner about him, but he has lost that in more recent years. He still occasionally lets something slip but I do think he keeps his cards close to his chest.
I would describe him as ‘tough’ rather than hard. He has the ability to get back up again and move on when he has taken a knock.
He still has an open manner but one can have an open manner without revealing much.
@lilacflowers
First hi to you
so much good press about TNM and Hiddles
the raves alone everywhere, local papers, EW, etc. – you must be so proud
finally yea for him!!!
agree very closed book indeed
Agreed. Being an overexcited puppy because something excites him is different to him keeping everything personal about his life private. When you really think about it, from everything read/seen about him, we truly know nothing.
+1, I think it’s a healthy attitude NOT to be an open book in the business he is in.
I don’t think he is or ever was an open book. I believe him when he says he keeps his cards close to his chest, because I’m the same, I can talk for hours about a movie or book I like but wouldn’t last 5 minutes discussing anything personal or private. And we barely know anything about Hiddleston.
The story he told on Colbert about his sister’s engagement was one of the few personal anecdotes I think he’s shared. But I haven’t been a fan for long so I wouldn’t know for sure.
He’s definitely not an open book. Even when he was seen to be eager for attention, he still came off as guarded to me. He’s mentioned that even his school mates read him wrong due to playing his cards close to his chest. I doubt that few people know him well.
Oh, Sixer! Are fight against British oppression has begun once again. http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/04/18/lexington-reenactment-helps-kick-off-patriots-day-festivities/22mzBZ6wfMtizolc4kbLkM/story.html
And “are” should be “our”
I am here! I am watching from afar! I love re-enacters. They put on stockings and everything. We have re-enacters here. They have broadswords.
(Have nothing to say about LEGS. He is not ‘ard.)
I really like this man because he is a wonderful actor but I do not get the “handsome” part. I do however, like the way he wears a suit!
Yep. He’s only hot when he’s Loki.
@Maleficent – then you haven’t seen him as Prince Hal and then Henry V in “The Hollow Crown” series – that man can fill out a leather jerkin, boots, and a codpiece like nobody’s business. And he looks great in a crown.
@seesit
I was surprised how good he looked as a red head. And I don’t usually go for reds.
That’s one of the fun things about Tom. You have to keep up and adjust to all his hair colors and styles. It’s like getting a newly wrapped present you get to carefully examine and open with giddy excitement each time.
Does anyone else think that headline is (deliberately?) misleading? I bet Tom really said/meant he is hard to know not simply hard – there is a big difference.
There is a brilliant article in Rolling Stone written by one of Rodney Crowell’s daughter after he stayed with her dad for an extended period She described how he was nick named the Lonesome Duke or something like that. She said he was great fun to be with but you never feel you really knew him
Sir Lonesome A Lot was the name I think. Probably because he didn’t go out socialising, just concentrated on getting the part right.
Yes, this reads to me as if he started to say “hard to read,” then stopped and changed to “keeps his cards close to his chest.” And I do believe that about him.
I get it, too. I wager he needs to do that as a defense mechanism at this point. Imagine having scores of people all over the world hanging on your every word, speculating about your private life, and analyzing every little thing you do because they are hungry to know every little thing there is to know about you. I don’t feel sorry for him exactly, as that is part and parcel of the life he chose, but I still can’t imagine. I would definitely want to hold things back just for me and for those who are the closest to me.
Wrong place.
Spidey – I fell about laughing at the headline to the article. LEGS does not speak proper Britisher. He is not ‘ard. It’s like a posh/pleb mistranslation AND a Brit/Yank (I say Yank cos it’s Patriots Day and a word that means different things according to which side of the Pond you are) mistranslation all at the same time. Glorious!
No! No! No! People who celebrate Patriots Day are no longer Yanks. Yanks are a despised baseball team from New York who were finally thrown off by the valiant, noble Red Sox after 86 years of oppression, cheating (looking at YOU, Chuck Knoblauch and you too A-Rod, how dare you slap Bronson Arroyo’s hand?), fistfights, attacks on groundskeepers, curses, and No, No Nanette in 2004.
And the anthem at today’s Sox game was presented by a color guard wearing replica 1775 militia uniforms and carrying a replica of the original flag.
Oh, Lilac. Funny post and I love you. Let’s play like this all day. See? This is what we see with LEGS saying “hard”. Hard means hard man. LEGS is effete. He is not hard. That he describes himself as hard marks him out for his poshie vocab and is funny. Also funny to be an ignorant Britisher and say “Yank” wrong on Patriots Day. I thoroughly approve of Patriots Day. More links, please!
I’m a Yank… and a Sox fan. Pray tell, Sixer what does it all mean?????
I’ve no idea. I’m making it up as I go along! Yank is a Britisher pejorative for all Americans though. It’s my civic duty to use it on Patriots Day. Or something! I need more re-enacting.
More pictures of re-enactments. You’re the guys in red.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/04/18/lexington-reenactment-helps-kick-off-patriots-day-festivities/22mzBZ6wfMtizolc4kbLkM/picture.html?p1=Article_Gallery
We have two movies about Patriots Day 2013 being filmed and they both shot scenes today.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/04/18/jake-gyllenhall-jeff-bauman-film-scene-fenway-park/iU0mMJgLPh3325mgXkM36O/story.html
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/04/18/mark-wahlberg-films-scenes-marathon-finish-line/Y1JZV91RlsBgboPlkfcBsI/story.html
Jake G is playing Jeff Bauman, who lost both legs in the bombing but described Tamerlan Tsarnaev to the cops on his way to the hospital. His testimony helped identify the bombers. Wahlberg’s film Patriot’s Day is about the bombing in general.
Oh, man. I would have such fun at that. I could shout “Steady men! Do not fire unless fired upon!” better than a dentist. I don’t trust your dentists. They shoot lions. Is it sad to love re-enactments? Cos I do love ’em.
I like Jake G, so will watch that one. But detest all things Wahlberg, so I’ll give his eventual film a miss. Sorry Patriots Day. I have my limits.
@ lilacflowers “You’re the guys in red” 😆
That brings to mind something we learned in history lessons back in the day – the fact that the Brits wore red made it easier for the native Americans/Canadians to pick them out in the woods when they were fighting.
@ Sixer – isn’t the phrase “wait until you can see the whites of their eyes?”
Spidey reminded me: this is roughly how we get taught it all at school. It’s called the American War of Independence, not the Revolutionary War. You won because cheaty guerilla tactics and cheaty French people. Most importantly cheaty French people. But it doesn’t matter too much because Wellington, Waterloo, Nelson and Trafalgar.
I am being satirical, but it’s not that far from the truth.
Spidey – nope. Direct quote from both day and article. Even if these dodgy Yanks chose a DENTIST to say it. A DENTIST.
I don’t agree that he’s effete, unless you’re applying a different definition to the one I’m familiar with.
KTE – it’s a word from an old conversation familiar to all the people in this sub-thread. They know what I mean. And I know you take all things LEGS incredibly seriously and I’m usually happy to engage seriously with you. But this little sub-thread today is just a few of us mucking about for Patriots Day. We’ve been looking forward to it. So can you fun police me tomorrow and leave it for today. We’re just having a laugh and not bothering anyone. Please nicely. Cheers.
“whites of their eyes” is a different battle. That’s the Battle of Bunker Hill and you guys won that one. That holiday is in June. There’s a parade and a small re-enactment and schools and municipal offices are closed but nothing like this. There’s a monument thing too that looks like the Washington monument. A giant phallic thing in Charleston (The Town).
And, well, if you’re going to march down the middle of the road in formation while wearing bright red coats, you do make yourself quite the target for any farmer who has a tree to climb or a fence to hide behind and an imagination to engage in cheaty, guerilla sniper tactics. The cheaty French people weren’t here for Patriots day; they came later.
Here in the Boston area schools, we learned that you were mean to us and shot a bunch of us in front of the Old State House, including Crispus Attucks (the only one whose name is remembered by anyone) but John Adams got you cleared in court and you continued being mean to us so we threw your tea in the harbor, and you laid siege to our city and made people let soldiers sleep in their houses and then you went looking for John Hancock and Sam Adams out in Concord, stopping long enough to shoot some farmers who were warned by Paul Revere, so we shot back when you got to Concord and you had a miserable long walk back to Boston. And Boston boys John Adams, him again, and Benjamin Franklin, who had moved to Philadelphia, helped Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence, which John Hancock and the gerrymandering guy signed. Then, Ethan Allen from Vermont stole your cannon up at Ticonderoga and dragged it through the snow to the Dorchester part of Boston, where George Washington aimed them at you from the top of a hill so you all got in boats and left us alone on St. Patrick’s, excuse me, Evacuation Day. Of course, the war dragged on elsewhere for years but we Bostonians don’t care. We now have Revere silver in museums and Hancock insurance, which sponsors the Marathon, and Sam Adams beer and Ethan Allen furniture and John Adams got to be President and so did his son and the bestest of all was Abigail Adams, who SHOULD have been President for life because she was magnificent and how I would love to see her take on the anti-vaxxers.
Also, today marks the fiftieth anniversary of Bobbie Gibbs running the Boston Marathon, the first woman to do so, although she did it unofficially because women weren’t allowed because we were too delicate and it would hurt our babymaking parts or something. The Boston Marathon was the first to officially allow women runners a few years later but the intervening years featured lots of rebellion.
But, but, but, CHEATY FRENCH! Only possible reason we lost. GSCE History says so!
(You are good at this, Lilac. Goes off to wiki Bobbie Gibbs. And our education isn’t that bad really, but we do scoot quickly over to when we beat the CHEATY FRENCH).
Well, your history is just so much more, in every sense, than ours so it would make sense that our revolution would be just a blippy skirmish and the French would be your New York Yankees if you were the Red Sox. Yes, we finally won the World Series against the Cardinals in 2004, after 86 years and two earlier WS losses to the Cardinals, but we BEAT the Yankees first to get there. I do confess to having heard of some French involvement in our War for Independence, some guy named Lafayette or something, I think, but you gave up on Boston long before the rest. We were way too much trouble. The other colonists didn’t want to help us either.
But Abigail should have been PRESIDENT FOR LIFE.
I take from this that I should write to the Department of Education complaining about the lack of prominence given to the vital Bostonian contribution to, well, EVERYTHING, and that the CHEATY FRENCH had nothing to do with it.
Ok. Wiki. Abigail.
@ lilacflowers – have you ever thought of taking up history writing? I think you would be very good, you made the whole thing so easy to understand!
We gave you the use of ether in surgery. Do you know where we would be without the use of ether in surgery? And the first kidney transplant. And the first FREE public library, which is where the Marathon finish line is (two main buildings: one modeled on a Venetian palace and the other modeled on a parking garage); the oldest public high school in the US (and we really mean public, although you have to pass tests to get in); and the Telephone; and lots and lots and lots of cancer research.
@Spidey, I’m certified to teach history.
Best to point the finger at the French, who supplied us with money and matériel which were badly needed to beat you BULLYING, OVERTAXING LIMEYS. No small thanks to Ben Franklin and his diplomatic ways. He can even take a bit of credit for inspiring the ideals that would lead to the French Revolution. Liberté, égalité, fraternité!
This is what hundreds of years of turf wars will lead to. Let us all learn a lesson from it, shall we?? It’s much more fun playing in the sandbox nowadays, dontcha think?
ETA: This thread has me wanting to read McCullough’s bio on John Adams all over again. just for Abigail’s parts. You should too Sixer… it’s a great bio and I found his friendship/rivalry with Jefferson particularly interesting.
@ lilacflowers – I must be psychic!
But re all your discoveries, well you did have a lot of catching up to do:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_innovations_and_discoveries
🙂
@Spidey, well, you did have a bit of a generous head start, give or take a millennium.
@nutballs, as stated above, Ben Franklin was ours originally too. And Jefferson and Adams died on the same day, July 4, 1826. Adams’s last words were something to the effect that Jefferson survived him but Jefferson had actually died hours earlier. Adams won but didn’t know it.
Abigail – abolitionist, champion of women’s rights at a time when there were none, public health advocate, prolific letter writer. AWESOME
@Sixer, in addition to the good McCullough bio of John Adams, there are collections of some of the letters between Abigail and John.
Oh my golly gosharoney. Nutballs has taken the gloves off and said LIMEYS. I am offended, outraged and many other O words. Yank, Yank, Yanketty Yank. I still like Patriots Day, though. And Abigail.
What with working in YA literature an’ all, my favouritest book about the Revolutionary War and Boston is The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. Completely brilliant and it has pox parties, colleges of lucidity and, well, everything. I’ve read it and the sequel about six times, I think.
Twas not I who hurled the “limey” word. My granddad would disapprove most strongly.
But put those gloves back on. Old Ironsides – the USS Constitution is nearby and though she may currently be in drydock getting all spiffy again; I’m sure I could get the cannon to work. If I could find them. Actually, I know where one is. And I’m prepared to defend my shore.
I was unaware of The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing and will check it out.
I claim a Welsh exemption from limey. I think we should settle the whole thing with a game of ping pong. This is probably unwise but historically helpful, since I am rubbish at it. It’s Patriots Day, after all. Least I can do!
The day that Sixer is offended is the end of the world as I know it. I’d best be hiding in my basement with my stock of dehydrated and luggable loo.
You may claim exemption from limey due to your staunch republican beliefs, Sixer. If that’s not enough to calm your outrage, may I offer you a Key Lime Pie in a gesture of friendship? I could throw it over to you, Ultimate Frizbee style.
I like ping pong when preceded by a few Sam Adams.
*dehydrated FOOD*
My editor is drinking on the job again.
I actually studied ping pong in college. So, sure, ping pong it is! And, since this is a LEGS thread and he likes ping pong; it is appropriate. I’ll have one of the special Marathon Day Sam Adams 26.2 drafts, please.
Oh, there were also multiple engagements at the marathon today. http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/04/18/the-boston-marathon-was-hot-spot-for-proposals-this-year/6gmRTKTa3LvqSvbrU0lyiM/story.html
Nothing says love is in the air but a grueling 26.2 mile race through the hills under a hot sun on a day commemorating a bunch of British dudes (and they were ALL British dudes on both sides that day) killing each other as they trudged through the woods and fields for 20 miles.
@Sixer, here’s the National Park schedule for all the battle reenactment stuff out at Minuteman National Park. nps.gov/mima/patriots-day.htm
And another schedule with pictures boston-discovery-guide.com/patriots-day-schedule.html
There are actually two national historical parks involved as the places in Boston are part of the Freedom Trail and not Minuteman. Minuteman just concerns Patriots Day while stuff on the Freedom Trail memorializes all your dirty deeds against the people here. (My people were still over there at the time too) There weren’t any battles in the city on Patriots Day so the reenactments here involve the preparations at the Revere House and Old North Church and the riders taking off (one if by land, two if by sea – you went by sea)
Oh, and Prescott made the “whites of their eyes” comment. I don’t think he was a dentist. Warren was a dentist and Warren was involved in Patriots Day AND was a leader at Bunker Hill. He died there. Abigail was babysitting his kids that day.
@Nutballs, I missed that the first time around and now I’m reading “dehydrated loo.”
My 87 year old aunt just threw a copy of TIME at me, opened to the article about The Night Manager, and told me to remind her to watch it tomorrow night because “It looks good and it’s got some of them English people in it.”
This thread is bonkers. And stonkers!
It is a jolly good stonkin’ thread. One of our best and surprisingly, it didn’t have any smut in it.
Yeah, dehydrated loo… I thought it best to clarify. I didn’t want things going down the toilet. Heh heh.
My 72YO mum was reminded on Sunday about tomorrow’s premier and she told me she already had TNM set to record.
Morning! I had great fun on this little thread. I thank you chaps. Did we celebrate Patriots Day in an appropriately international fashion, Lilac?
I’m never speaking to Nutballs again. Only because I look forward to her reporting from her basement and having no digestives to dunk since her diet is 100% rehydrated. The digestives are MINE.
@Nutballs, no smut? Hmmm, I may have a slightly different interpretation of “hard” than you. That’s surprising.
@ Sixer, yes, I believe we have celebrated appropriately. Sam Adams would be proud and maybe actually a bit frightened. I think that we have earned our mylar blankets.
Sixer, I stocked up on the digestives. And they keep for a long time.
If you stop talking to me then you’ve lost your Euro Telly Disciple. Who’s going to follow you blindly into the world of dark, depressing, cynical dramas? You can no longer take credit for the corrupting of my psyche.
And I get to keep all the Key Lime Pie. Pfft.
Ack ack. You said yersen. I never take offence. Now give me the pie. Kissy kissy.
I’m still loving Undercover. And Marcella.
I’m also halfway through Blue Eyes, another Walter Presents thing. About the rise of the far right, which is happening throughout Europe. It’s not just Trump. I quite like it.
*blows kisses and flings pie across the pond*
I’m still enjoying Undercover despite its flaws. Like, the druggie wasn’t going to get offed when he tattled… paleeze.
I forgot about Marcella last week, need to catch up on it. Been binging on Spiral and working on my rusty french.
I had a fabulous time drinking with a group of these reenactors. They are almost as a rule wonderful, interesting people.
It was ducks.
I’ve been reading this as *dicks* today. Blame Lilac for talking smut about Tom being *hard*. I’ve been on good behavior. Her fault.
I know I will get yelled at for this, but I really don’t like when people are hard to read and purposely keep themselves closed off from others. It might just be a personality trait thing and I know people don’t behave this way (generally) out of any malicious spirit, but I have immense trust issues with people, and I tend to be leery of anyone that can’t open up or puts up walls and refuses to let them down.
It’s probably a good thing for the business Tom’s in, but it sets off my anxiety when people don’t let anyone see who they really are. And I have a feeling there’s very few people in Tom’s life who truly know him well.
Why hide?
I get what you mean, but Tom obviously is his complete self with only people he trusts. so in essence, he’s not hiding. He just chooses his company carefully. I can relate in a way. I am extremely open with people I trust and love. I really don’t let other people in if I don’t know them. I’m the opposite. I will NEVER understand the way an extrovert thinks and acts. I would go crazy from the constant open book and validation stoking.
I’m the same. I choose my friends carefully and as a consequence I have few friends, but with them I’m 100% my true self. When it comes to work or socializing I find people/strangers who overshare exhausting and draining.
Speaking only for myself, as someone who is an extremely shy introvert but works in a profession that requires public speaking and interactions with lots of people, it isn’t hiding. For some of us, the questions that many consider the “getting to know you” type are awkward, uncomfortable, and really tell you absolutely nothing about me so my answers are going to be brief and almost curt. i feel like I’m being probed and judged in such situations. I don’t like talking about myself. I know others don’t like to do so either. We’re not hiding; we’re just uncomfortable being probed. I know others, like you, feel and act differently. The world is made of millions of types of people. We’re not all the same. We can’t be and we shouldn’t try to be. We just need to accept And not yelling at you. I accept you’re the way you are and different things have meaning for you that have no meaning for me and vice versa.
To jammy and lilac I was just going to say all that both of you said. For those of us who are like this ,and I’ve been told many times to open up or how I never talk about myself etc., it’s not hiding. To me it’s a bit of protection(self preservation).
I find people who put it all out there tend to easy to be ridiculed or disrespected by others. Opposite from @kate ,I find those people to be the ones I don’t trust because it makes me think “why do you want the world to know all of your business?”
As far as Tom goes I think it’s just how he’s always been and why should he change because he’s more well known. He’s not following the hey look at me, look at all my stuff trope that so many celebs do. I personally respect that a bit more. Granted he’s had his Twitter moments, but even then it still wasn’t completely over the top.
@ lilacflowers, where I worked before I retired they used to send us on courses and the bit I hated most was on the first day when I sat around a table with a dozen other people I had never met before and the tutor said “tell us about yourself”
Tom has been to boarding school so it is quite possible that is where he learned to play his cards close to his chest, quite understandably. But I bet he is somewhat different with his family and close friends whom he knows he can trust.
@Spidey, I hate those type of meetings introductions too. You’re getting name, rank, and serial number from me. I’m not into sharing like that.
I’m extremely particular about who gets to know very personal things about me, partly because I am queer and in a very unconventional relationship, and I know from experience that a lot of people out there can be very obtuse, or at least have very poor boundaries.
In the work environment, I just stay away from certain topics, and it makes me *very* stressed when people press for detailed information, or assume that my life, goals, relationships, etc. are just like theirs. I’m selective for good reasons, and I treasure my friends with whom I can be exactly as I am, but I don’t assume that everyone is friendly or gets it. In a business setting, I already have enough to deal with. I like having a solid, bright line between work and personal just because it helps me sleep better at night.
I have trust issues with people as well and that’s precisely why I put up a wall until I get to know the person well enough to just be myself.
It’s a natural instinct, why would I immediately reveal everything about myself to a person I don’ t know well? From my experience, that’s not really a smart thing to do in life. You got to be careful what you say and how you act, especially in a business setting.
And Hollywood and the media is definitely a business setting for Hiddleston.
I’m sure we all watch what we say when speaking to our boss or colleagues that we’re not close to.
I’m a bit like that. I could talk for hours about my job, or about how funny my family is, or my hometown or something like that, but I don’t talk about my feelings, hopes, dreams and most of my issues with anyone. And I mean anyone. I have a few close friends, and while we are very close, we usually talk about their issues. I’m a bit more open with my family, but not much. And my family is extremely close knit. It just makes me extremely uncomfortable. If I had a problem, telling someone about it only made me feel worse. I went to therapy for a while but stopped because I couldn’t bring myself to tell the therapist anything deeper. Certain things are mine and only mine. And I wouldn’t say I have trust issues. It’s just the way I am. I’ve been told that I’m a very warm person so that pretty much camouflages the fact that’t I’m not very open.
You are probably warm because you listen!
“went to therapy . . but stopped because I couldn’t bring myself to tell the therapist anything deeper”
@Locke
Very interesting. I can understand. I’ve learned with therapist that it’s not only important to find the right one for you, but that you too need to be ready to open up. If you’re not ready it’s important to know so that you don’t waste your time and money. Depending on the type and severity of a problem, therapy is kind of a hit and miss process. But in general it’s a good thing. You have to start somewhere, and then you can adjust your course.
@Locke: as long as you are fine with keeping things to yourself, don’t worry! I started writing stuff that I don’t share with anyone down – I call it my “Book of Awareness”. 🙂
As long as your approach works for you , it’s all good. And judging from your comment you seem to be aware of who you are and what you need.
And I totally agree with Cranberry that you need to find the right therapist at the right time (just like in a relationship). And while there are some good ones out there, there are also some not so good ones. My best friend was in therapy until this year and it ended on a really bad note. You won’t believe the stuff the therapist told my friend (“You can’t leave (!)”, “I’m disappointed in you”, etc.) We came to the conclusion that the therapist was in higher need of therapy than my friend.
This is an interesting issue considering we live in the age now of Reality shows, Facebook and Twitter. What was once considered “open book” is nothing to what we see today in our self-obsessed, exhibitionist media culture. To that I say Tom is pretty middle of the road especially for a celebrity. I think he has always been open with his nature, his personality. You can see many instances of genuine pieces of himself that he’s shared here and there. A lot of times it depends who he’s talking to or whether he rambled on and let little things out along the way. You have to fish through a lot stuff to find them, but it’s there although nothing earth shattering only pieces. As his fame increases he’s more careful, and we hear a lot of the same surface responses, unless he lets his guard down and shares something new and unexpected.
He already gives his all in his performances so that is good enough for me.
I agree. Anything else is bonus.
Sometimes the softest sorts have to develop a harder shell to survive, knowing how soft they are inside?
I love him in that suit w the shoes.
Don’t worry, crazy puppy returned on Twitter this week:
https://twitter.com/twhiddleston/status/721158323056336896
I could only stomach about 30 seconds of that… so schmaltzy!
I too think Tom is hard… at least sometimes (I’ll take some points off myself for this one). 😛
But it would be a fatal error to be an open book and be the “heart on sleeve” type in the business Tom is in.
Although I don’t think he’s callous and cruel and he won’t stab someone in the back for some perceived momentary benefit.
I learned early on to be the consummate actor and lie unflinchingly because whenever I spoke the truth it cost me dearly . I reckon that amplifies tenfold when moving in an industry where everyone is a histrionic and competitive type.
I’m similar: I’m not straight-out lying but the amount I’m thinking vs. the amoung I’m saying are two very different things. I also learnt early on that most people can’t deal with a straight answer or honest opinion (I’m not saying truth because I realized that “truth” often depends on your perspective).
And the funny thing is that often those people who want an honest opinion are the ones who can’t deal with it at all.
So usually I stay on a superficial level when talking to people because I simply find it easier to deal with and less exhausting. 🙂
Hard? Do tell…, but a hard character or sensibility? Not bloody likely. He CRIES when scared. Hard souled my arse.
Oh and he could be a spy but only outside of the U.K. Fairly few know him as widely as we do here.
Of course he couldn’t have been misquoted or taken out of context could he?
The “keeping cards close to his chest” thing sounds pretty accurate. People have said in the past that he has a talent for talking a great deal without ever saying anything too revealing or getting into subjects he doesn’t want to talk about. You can be talkative and goofy and emotional without being an open book.
As for the “hard” thing…eh, I’d say not really. It seems like he can be pretty emotional. I think most of us are made of hard and soft parts, though, so I can buy that he can find aspects of himself that work with the character.
I don’t think he’s being imaginative enough with the spying question! A famous person can be a spy – it doesn’t matter if everyone knows who you are if they don’t know what you’re doing secretly.
Graham Norton again the first week of May. So Graham must have liked the impressions and Tom is finally getting back to England
Lets hope that Tom refuses to do any impressions this time.
Read somewhere that Ragnorak will take until the end of the year.
Yes, one of the print interviews released today (Variety and Rolling Stone), he says he’ll be filming Ragnorak until Christmas
Well he has to get back home to pack for his upcoming vacation. Perhaps we can have some fun with leaked pictures again. It’s been two years, y’know.
Pray that Norton doesn’t ask for any impressions this time. Now that HR is out in the UK, would he be promoting ISTL? I wasn’t certain if it even had a release date for the UK. Britishers, can you confirm?
The summary I saw of the Norton show said ISTL. Samuel L Jackson is on the same episode. Paul Rudd a few nights earlier Graham is doing a Marvel think like Kimmel
This was an interesting analysis of the career trajectory of actors that have taken on the 007 mantle. It pretty much quantifies everything we’ve been saying about the downside of playing the most famous British spy in film.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/pray-your-favorite-actor-doesnt-become-james-bond/