This is what I needed this week. I needed the dulcet tones of a posh, ginger Englishman for ten minutes. Tom Hiddleston is here, he’s in promotional-work mode, and he sat down with BBC Radio One for a longer interview about Avengers: Infinity War, Loki and the history of his work with Marvel. I tend to believe that right now, they’re overselling Loki’s appeal a little bit. Loki isn’t *that* big right now. But Tom admits that too – the character is a household name at this point, but the full-on Loki-mania happened years ago, back with Thor: The Dark World. I remember that promotional tour too – Chris Hemsworth was largely absent, so Tom was everywhere, promoting the film 24-7. And so that’s when he became next-level.
Tom tells the BBC Radio One, “When people meet me, they’re confronted by my kind of shattering ordinariness and realize there’s absolutely nothing that resembles anything divine or archetypal. I’m just a sort of like overgrown ginger kid from Wimbledon.” Aw.
"When people meet me they're confronted by my… shattering ordinariness."
We'll agree to disagree, Tom Hiddleston 😍
Watch Tom (@twhiddleston) chat to @AliPlumb about Becoming… #Loki here 👉 https://t.co/FqRYaLVwYD pic.twitter.com/6o18DfwZmr
— BBC Radio 1 (@BBCR1) April 23, 2018
Is he an overgrown ginger kid? I see some signs of maturity with him over the past year. He had several months of bad headlines, and then he went dark for a while. I’d like to believe that he’s no longer the “overgrown ginger kid” and is now more of a thoughtful, reticent ginger man who got burned by snake love. We’ll see. Here’s the full interview – I’ve been listening to it while I work and his voice really is lovely.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
He’s lovely. Seriously, my fondness for him has hit an all-time high recently, probably because it is abundantly obvious that there are so few men as kind and gentlemanly as him in Hollywood. It’s refreshing. I was over it with him for so long and now I’m over being over it. I’m embracing it. He’s delightful in every way. Never thought I’d fancy a ginger. Damn.
It’s definitely not Loki-mania anymore, but I think he’s still a lot of people’s favorite character. Marvel is playing off fans’ fears that he’s going to be offed in this movie.
Why do you all love him so much? Why? I don’t get it.
It’s 75% the voice.
Personally, I loved him as a young man, sort of post-teen in Johanna Hog’s first film Unrelated. He was a slightly cruel, spoiled rich kid toying with a poor middle-aged woman undergoing a crisis. He was marvellous and so was the film.
Re: his sexiness, it kind of creeps up on us because we don’t really know of he is a nice bloke or not, if he is selfish or just a lost puppy. (Of course the TS snake period did not do him many favours but he seems to be back with a vengeance and a sexy ginger beard – who can RESIST A GINGER BEARD?!).
Personal taste is personal. He’s tall, has killer cheekbones, lovely hands, great voice, intelligent, decent and kind. Attractive to some but not all because different people are attracted to different things.
He’s charming, talented, and by all accounts is a genuinely kind person. That’s really all there is to it. He’s attractive to those of us who like the lanky British types, lol. And yes, the voice. The voice helps.
He seems kind. A lot of actors are so media trained you can’t really tell what they’re actually like, but he’s one of the few whose kindness seems so genuine. Or maybe it’s just that his sad eyes are fooling me.
I love how sweet, nice,funny, talented and handsome he is. He’s a real gentleman while so many others in showbiz are rude,egotistical pigs. His voice is so sweet and sexy.
@Kata, I hope his sad puppy eyes aren’t fooling us. His eyes make me melt
I’ve been missing Sixer lately. In her honor (honour–considering she’s a Brit?) we must mention her fondness for Tom’s legs. Indeed, her nickname for him is Legs. I hope that Sixer will return for THE WEDDING. If not, Lightpurple and LAK will have to concoct a special drink in Sixer’s honor.
Thanks for the explanations! I guess I have never seen him in anything, so don’t know his voice; I’ll get right on that. 🙂
The voice is everything. 🙂
@Dee, he did an audio reading of something called The Love Book, a few years ago – actors doing poetry readings. He read e e Cummings May I Feel. Check that out. Also check out interviews on Muse of Fire website. He does one in which he explains the difference in voicing Shakespeare for a TV performance or a stage performance with demonstrations. And he’s clearly exhausted, not feeling well, possibly hung over and quite charming throughout
And he is looking especially FINE lately! Yes, agree with all, the fact he’s so f’ing nice is what makes him rise to the top.
Everyone say he’s so nice but I know two people who’ve actually worked with him and say he’s not charming without an audience. Direct quote from one person – “I’ve never met such a pretentious f**k in my life.” And that person has worked on films for 8 years now. (Side note, my friend tells me the genuinely nicest actor he’s ever met was Steve Buscemi.)
I thought Tom is blonde? Though he looks fine as a ginger as well!
Most in my family start w/blonde hair, but it darkens as they age. I’m one of the only whose hair stayed blonde for some reason. And of course things like the sun lighten our hair as well.
We will be serving ginger scones at tea on the veranda in honor of the return of LEGS to public consciousness. LEGS will be on Kimmel tomorrow night so more gingery ordinariness with that extraordinary voice in store.
And I’ve had my tickets for weeks. Thursday night can’t get here fast enough.
I didn’t see your comment before I posted mine above re Sixer and Legs.
An ordinary ginger kid…who went to Eton. Sorry, I’m British and, much and all as I like him, Hiddlestone is coming out with some prime BS here.
I have never seen such vitriolic prejudice against education and the opportunity for it as you have in the UK.
Hiddleston is a sweetheart and a gentleman who has grown and matured due to a crash course in the School of Hard (Press) Knocks.
It’s because the privileged ones never want to admit their privilege while simultaniously reaping all the benefits.
@JAC: “admit their privilege”? Like it’s a crime or something? Point validated.
I don’t begrudge him for going to a good school. He got good grades and deserved to be there.
He’s admitted his privilege many times over many years. I have the years of being a fan to know haha
You are obviously not a Brit. Britain is still very much a class society and that affects the school system (especially now the Tories are making sure to keep it as such). Public schools usually provide a much better education and are an important factor for getting admitted to a good university, but are only accesible to very rich people.
Good education and the opportunity to receive it shouldn’t depend on how much money your parents have. It’s not a prejudice if it’s true!
(and that is all just about the college he went to, completely ignoring the class divide in the British acting world as well)
and lol @mags getting into Eton has very little to do with “good grades” and all the more with £12,000 per term.
Are all Eton kids extraordinary looking, with superpowers and with horns? 😉 Come on, let it go. He’s just saying he does not have the edginess of Loki and going to Eton kinda proves his point.
I know it’s hard at this point in the UK , my daughter’s in debt to study contemporary dance and so will her ex-boyfriend be, who is auditioning for drama schools, and my son is only in a private school for ballet dancers because he has a sponsor. It’s horrendous how performance arts are becoming inaccessible – or higher education in general.
But it’s not Hiddles’ fault all of this. He even sponsors some actors as far as I’ve heard.
That’s what I thought, too, that he was talking in the context of people comparing a character he plays with him the person.
I think Tom is trying to say there is nothing special about him. And it is not his fault he was sent to Eton or that things have changed so much since he went to RADA. I think he has said on more than one occasion that he realises how lucky he was.
Along with a lot of other people I do get fed up with Eton being thrown back at him, and other actors, at every opportunity.
Seriously. It’s prejudice borne of bitter envy, plain and simple. And it’s ugly.
There’s everything special about him, Spidee. I know you agree!
I do totally agree MI6 – the Guardian comments btl on every article about actors is a superb illustration of “more vinegar dear.” It is inverse snobbery and, as you say, very ugly.
I am sure he meant ordinary as compared to Loki.
I agree. He’s merely saying that in person he’s just a guy and not a super hero. Even Chris Hemsworth is 6’4″ and has bulging muscles and thus looks out of the ordinary.
Can’t he be both? Yes he came from privilege, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t just a normal guy also.
He is my favourite posh English actor, but they all do this. I realise he was comparing himself with a Norse God in this instance, but usually all these super posh guys downplay their posh ness so so much and bang on and on how ordinary they are.
I didn’t like the way Loki was portrayed in Ragnarok, but he will for sure die in Infinity War, so, bye Loki, it was fun having you.
I think with this promo tour the Lomi fandom is still ridding the wave of Thor Ragnarok, he did have to ballance his role against bigger, iconic villain wearing black leather – the Blanchet.
I like him. He’s a little obtuse sometimes, but I like him. If they’re really knocking Loki off this time around (seeing it this weekend) I’ll be sad. Love the beard and unruly hair. And he’s so lovely tallllllllll . . .
I don’t think he’s extremely problematic but I find him unbearable. But maybe that’s just all Upper Class British Posh guys, there aren’t many I like.
If you find him so “unbearable,” why are you consistently on these threads?
He clearly piques her interests lol
Well you don’t have problem with white, privilege girls, whos daddy bought career
Burrrn.
Who also tricks her fans into buying insane amount of merch just so she can get her numbers off and pretend that she is still the hottest ticket in town. Why do her fans defend her when she is so awful to them?
Oh snap
I wasn’t gonna go there 🤣
He’s well mannered, professional, and a kind human. I’m sure there are actual worse people to find “unbearable”.
I think you find him unbearable because he came out of the summer of fake love better than snake emoji.
I suspect LEGS will be relieved to hear it.
Ok I need to make confession. 5-6 years ago I saw Avengers and was impressed by a Loki. But Hiddles didn’t impress me much. On photos he looks like tall, skinny Kermit without a lips. I couldn’t understand how someone find him hot. That time I was all about Fassy (I still loves his movies – maybe not from last 2-3 years 🙂 ). But when I saw more and more interviews with Hiddles and read about him I understud. I find him hot bcs his character and personality. This guy is just good, humble and goofy. And now with longer hair and beard, he killed me. And he looks now rather beefy 🙂
And it is funny, bcs more I saw him talking I like him more. And more I saw Fass less hot he is (he seems like lazy di*k now for me).
But maybe I’m strange, bcs I never understand why people think Hems brothers, Pratt, Evans are hot. Abs doesn’t do anything for me.
So this is my story 🙂
@SoCool: that is so funny because I felt the same way. I saw The Avengers and Loki and was like, “Who IS this guy?” I saw him in person and was admittedly a bit let down.
Then he opens his mouth to speak and the intelligence, sensitivity and self-deprecating humor and TALENT kick in and well…hooked.
And of course the Ice Bucket Challenge of 2014.
Ah Ice BUcket Challenge – white shirt of doom. And abs 🙂 who known back then that he has abs. 🙂
The sneaky buff bod got so many people back in 2014.
Who knew he had abs? Anyone who saw Only Lovers Left Alive.
Well I saw OLLA like 2 years ago, so I didn’t know about abs. But I love this movie. Such a great small, indie thing. And that sundtrack.
@SoCool: I didn’t see OLLA until after said Ice Bucket and resulting T shirt. So that’s two of us.
@ MI6 let down because he wasn’t wearing his horns? 😆
@ Spidee Oh Lord, no. He just seemed so dorky and gingery and generally unassuming in real life.
…Until he sneaks up on you.
I like him way better now as himself than I ever did as Loki. It’s just nice to know he has that in him.
@ Jammypants: “The sneaky buff bod.” Exactly. I was floored. And that’s being polite.
Yes. Saw him & thought him handsome enough. But then watched one video, & had to watch another, & had to watch 10 more. And the rest is history.
His personality really does draw you in, and I think that’s uncommon in actors (in my experience). I’ll find someone attractive and then hear them in an interview and think “eh, nevermind.” Tom is so thoughtful and personable that he makes himself more attractive just by being himself. For a while there he got to be a bit much for me with the dancing and the impressions and the general dancing bear act, but he has toned down from that. And when I look back on the things about him that ever annoyed me, geez. They were such minor, unimportant things in the grand scheme of how lovely he is.
He really is just good. A good human. And it’s obvious that it’s genuine, too. I so appreciate that. [And since The Night Manager he has been fit and downright hot. Did you SEE him in Kong? I blush thinking about it, ugh.]
OMFG KONG. He looks great.
And about dancing bear. I remember under some Guardian article about him (with was very mean bcs HS), some guy wrote a story about Hiddles – this guy was working on some small theater event and Hiddles was a young actor, working with his troup. So there was few actors gigs, one after another. And one actor was trully drunk on a stage. They took him down and audience was rather confused. So suddenly Hiddles come on stage and improvised some funny gigs, dance and sing etc. So that audience won’t be mad at drunk actor and all crew and stage won’t be empty. I thought it was a lovelly story. And I don’t know why, but I think that he wrote this “drunk actor” was John Cleese. But I’m not 100% sure.
That’s not the full interview if you would believe. On the bbc website, it clocks at around 20 minutes.
It is one of his bests interviews. And it lokks like GOODBYE to Loki. Sad.
Yeah I think Loki’s going to die. They’ll save some major deaths for the next one, but in this one we’ll see one of the Guardians die and Loki (and others). He’ll probably do something that completes his redemption arc like saving Thor and die as a hero.
What a charming man he is
I don’t get why he’s getting crap for calling himself ordinary. He obviously means ordinary in terms of looks and general non-Godliness, not ordinary in terms of class.
Loved this interview. In another interview, he says he’s ‘not allowed’ to do impersonations anymore???? What’s with that?
As for the attraction, for me, it’s the kindness. I only started checking this guy out because my 11-year-old liked him. So he’s kind and smart and that’s attractive as hell to me. Then you add the humor and the visible love of life and he’s a very attractive man. That’s not counting those suits, the smile, thighs, and bum. He’s got a great bum and thighs for a long lanky man.
Yes, as far as I know, the only other actor lovelier, kinder and more humble than TH is Keanu Reeves. And the only one on par with TH that I know of is Yoo Ji Tae, a South Korean actor who played the villain in the original Oldboy, who, besides also being very easy on the eyes, has been known to take paycuts to ensure that other actors get payed their due, or completely forego his salary as a director to be able to pay the crew on his projects. He also sponsors and mentors young aspiring actors and seems to be a lovely, warm person, very devoted to his family.
I like him. He’s very attractive to me because …
Tall, broad shoulders, great smile, his lovely curly hair, that voice, and his personality.
I really do not understand the “anti-posh” thing. In my book, well educated is a plus.
He seems to be a kind and interesting person.
I enjoyed his dancing and hip swiveling while it lasted.
How many interviews can an actor give talking about his part as a comic book star?
I watched the 1st Thor/Loki movie and I saw Iron Man but, the Marvel universe is not my main interest. I thought he got roasted over the Taylor Swift thing, good grief he did not kill or harm anyone, let it go.
I do wish he had better material, he has talent but some of his choices were doomed from the get go…TH in the Hank Williams bio pic? Who on earth talked him into that? No way was that ever gonna be huge box office.
I would like to see him in a film with a good plot, some decent love scenes without being R rated, and a bit of humor. Actually, I would like to see more films with any of that.
For the voice track down his narration of the YA book The Red Necklace. It is set during the time of the French Revolution and is lovely to listen to.