Oh, hello!!! You know what the post-pandemic world needs? Tom Hiddleston and a redux of Hiddlesmania. Tom Hiddleston’s star was on the rise for several years, I would say 2013-2016. Then he was suddenly doing way too much, and in the summer of 2016, all hell broke loose. He began dating Taylor Swift, they went on the Worldwide Tiddles Tour, and she promptly dumped him in the late summer/early fall. His reputation took a hit and he’s never really recovered. There were some movies, some theater work, and a quiet relationship with Zawe Ashton, although we haven’t heard anything about them in a while and I don’t even know if they’re still together.
Hopefully, this year will be the start of the Hiddles Revival, because despite the 2016 drama, I enjoy Tom and I want the world for him. I would love it if this twee dancing man actually became a huge star and not a piece of mid-2010s gossip nostalgia. Tom is currently beginning his big promotional push for the Disney Plus Loki series, called, obviously, Loki. I wouldn’t even try to explain the plot (because I don’t understand it) but Disney definitely threw money at this series and they must have thrown a lot of cash at Tom to get him to do this. The series premieres on June 11. Empire Magazine gave Tom two covers to celebrate, and here are the first excerpts from the cover profile:
Why he took a step away from movies: “A few things crossed my path and I thought carefully about them, but they didn’t feel quite right, so I didn’t do them.”
Spending time focusing on his personal life: “I’d been playing so many different people in so many different parts of the world, and it’s very important to distinguish what’s real in one’s own life, and look after those things. Because if you don’t look after them, they can be lost, or they can be marginalised, and then you come home one day and they’re not there anymore.”
His philosophy is like that of Tilda Swinton’s character, Eve in Only Lovers Left Alive. “She says life is about surviving things, appreciating nature, nurturing kindness and friendship, and dancing. So perhaps, in the moment, I needed to come back and do it. I don’t know, to be honest, that I danced a lot. I should have danced more. But I’m sure there are some people who’d say I’ve danced far too much.”
He did dance far too much but I feel sorry for him! He loved to dance and we loved to watch this gangly ginger god dance his ass off. Poor guy is still feeling quite bruised by the Tiddle mess and the overeager puppy-ness of the promotional trail for the Thor films.
Here are the two Loki trailers:
Covers courtesy of Empire.
I just came here to say that I am Marvel’s bitch and can’t wait for LOKI to drop!
AMEN
me too! bring it on Loki!
I’m right there on the couch next to you!!!
+1
Me four! I recently upgraded my TV and the only reason I want to sign up for Disney+ is so I can watch all of the Marvel shows. Bring on Loki indeed!
Disney+ has totally been worth it for me as a fellow Marvel fan. Both of the new Marvel shows have been 100% hits for me and I can’t wait for Loki!
Loki is the MCU series I was most excited about on Disney+. The fact Wanda Vision and the FATWS are sooooo good is only building the hype… I can’t wait!!!
Congrats on supporting a monopoly that spews out military propaganda 👍
Nice try. The only things in the MCU that could legit be called military propaganda are Iron Man 1&2, Captain America 1, and Captain Marvel. There are over a dozen movies and series beyond those. If you know anything about how films work portraying even one soldier, you’ll know that you HAVE to get permission from the military to portray it AT ALL. Avengers pissed them off so much they pulled support.
And clearly you’re not watching Falcon and the Winter Soldier because it’s anything but a prop for the military. In fact, it’s a direct call out to the government and military industrial complex.
I’m not sure you understand what the word monopoly means.
@Lanagan … I don’t think you understand what those words mean.
MsBanjo, but doubt even half of the people who love the MCU even factor in all the stuff you’ve mentioned.
@Lanagen, you’re right and you should say it. The fact that FatWS tried to paint a biracial anti-fascist as the enemy is hilarious. I love some of MCU, but denying it’s filled with US propaganda (all the Iron Man films were basically co-written by the Pentagon) is straight up delusional.
This is what propaganda working looks like. We need to learn how to critically consume media, y’all.
My hubby gave me a Disney+ account as a birthday gift so I can’t wait to see this!
Right there with you!
WHOA WHOA WHOA. Back up. His career did NOT take a hit from which he hasn’t recovered. It was a blip and he’s aggressively adored world wide. He’s a house hold name. Let’s all just ….. simmer down.
WORD. The world needs Tom Hiddleston back, in full. Also, that man has NEVER danced too much.
Never EVER understood the appeal here. Baffling.
Yeah, me too. I’m probably in the minority but I can’t stand Loki.
I don’t find him hot, but he’s a good actor and appears to be a decent human being.
Go watch The Night Manager on Amazon Prime. A very different character than Loki, and he’s incredibly hot in the role.
I agree 100% here, I’m meh on him as Loki and he really doesn’t do anything for me in still images but I found him super attractive in The Night Manager.
Attraction is higly subjective. There are some celebrities that I can intellectually understand why other people find them attractive, but they just don’t do it for me. Sometimes the attraction is based on their perceived personality or some other hard to quantify attribute. For those to whom I’m personally not attracted, I can still appreciate their work if they turn in a good performance in a film or TV series that interests me, etc. but I’m not going to search out posts about them.
Personally, I have never EVER understood the need to comment in a post just to announce that I don’t find that person attractive, but whatever.
I don’t find TH hot (except in the very first Thor film) but I really like him as an actor. He is genuinely a very good actor who can do just about anything. I like his earnestness and his speech with the Christian Slater viral thing was so overblown in terms of the criticism. With the Taylor thing, I think he wanted that mega fame (Bond, etc) but was into her as well and made a really bad judgment call. Loki is okay to interesting; I would watch this over the WandaVision series.
He is a great actor, but yeah, I have to admit that when he dated TS and started doing all the pap walk I was kind of bummed. He looks great on that cover!
Oh Tiddles. I for one am glad to see him back in something that can hopefully relaunch him. He was one of the few that just got destroyed in the wake of the SS TSwift. He might be able to do It if he keeps his head down and keeps the dancing/personalized t-shirts to a minimum.
I have nothing against Taylor but I think the idea of them together just seemed incongruous to most people. He was seen as the serious British actor and she was seen as the frivolous pop star.
I think they both learned their lesson and have since been incredibly private about their personal lives.
It wasn’t just the relationship. Remember that awful acceptance speech he gave where everyone in the audience was rolling their eyes? It was pretty much a one-two punch, IMO.
I admittedly have a huge soft spot for Tom but I never found the acceptance speech all that bad; yes it was awkward but IDK that it deserved quite as much derision as it engendered. I have a distinct memory of a paparazzo catching him after he was leaving the GG and probably heading to one of the after parties and he was obs. still excited about NM winning and then the pap asked if he’d heard about the backlash that his speech had received and it was like watching someone kick a puppy. I mean he’s a grown a$$ privileged white dude, so I intellectually get that he’s still been exceedingly lucky and doesn’t need my sympathy, I still felt bad for him and regret that almost 5 years later, it still gets brought up in every post.
I agree it was just so overblown. It’s like every award ceremony now has to have a viral moment or they’ll make it up. The fact that Christian Slater just happened to have a bewildered look on his face probably just sent it over the edge. His speech really wasn’t that bad at all.
I agree as well. I am 46, so not remotely in the frame of whatever the eff was going on, back then. I do not care to talk about Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift, because I was taking care of a little bossy boy, who I gave birth to. It’s a bunch of noise, in my ears, that means absolutely nothing. Tom Hiddleston is a treasure.
ETA: I just realized there is one famous person on the planet that I am more protective of than Harry and Meghan.
Tom Hiddleston, you own me, but not in a creepy way. Carry on, as you will, being spectacular.
It’s such a shame the way the media treated him when they give rapists and pedophiles passes, but god forbid a man be earnest and joyful and yes sometimes a bit cringe and try and tear him down.
He’s still with Zawe as far as we fans know.
I know, right? Like yes he’s a dork and was way too eager and earnest for some people, plus he chose a few projects that he was good in but weren’t good overall. So sue him! He did the right thing by stepping back for a bit and I can’t wait for Loki 😍
Agreed. The press was nasty to him for an excessively long time and he didn’t deserve that. There are so many despicable people in Hollywood and they choose to pick on Tom, who has always been known to be polite and hardworking? I definitely get that he was a bit much at times, and the Taylor thing was a bit misstep. But the hate he got and the subsequent break he had to take to recover from that was so disproportionate to what actually happened, which was…what? He took too many pictures with her that summer? Even the Golden Globes speech — I think everyone knew perfectly well what he was trying to say and that his message was nice, but decided to layer on the nastiness instead because he could’ve worded it better. That whole thing was so blown out of proportion.
Agree. He’s obviously hungry for fame but he’s also (by all accounts) one of the nicest people in Hollywood. It’s shitty that he was treated so terribly, especially when he’s a genuinely talented and skilled actor.
He was essentially treated the same way the media (and the fans) treat women.
I think this and the HathaHate phenomenon are nearly identical, and both of them were incredibly unnecessary and mean-spirited given how harmless and sweet both of them seem to be. Glad to see both of them appear to have come out of those experiences. Damn, now I want to them to do a project together….
@Evenstar I always group Anne Hathaway with Tom for the same reason. They showed their ambition a smidge too much (in an industry where EVERYONE needs to be ambitious to get anywhere) and were…too earnest?, I guess, and so people bullied them into hiding and revamping their image to appear less “thirsty.” It’s so messed up. They both seem like such nice people.
THANK YOU!!! Tom Hiddleston has never raped, or been awful to people at large, so I do not understand why people are STILL mad at him, for absolutely nothing.
I am excited for Loki. We are in the process of watching all the Marvel movies in story order – I don’t really like the marvel movies with a few exceptions so we are doing this so that I can put more of the pieces in place, and I admit that it’s helping and I’m more interested in the Disney Plus series now. We just watched Black Panther last night, that’s one of the few Marvel movies that I legitimately really like (and Thor, I can’t help it, I really like Thor, lol.) I’m not watching Falcon and the Winter Solider until we get through the movies, but already I feel better bc now I at least know who the Winter Soldier is, LOL.
I’ve always liked Tom Hiddleston, he definitely got caught up in celeb gossip when he was dating Swift but maybe this will be part of a big reset for him.
We just finished a complete watch of all things Marvel too. But we did it in release order. I had seen many of the movies but not all, so it helped fill in gaps. I really like Thor and Guardians. For the humour. I just finished Wanda Vision (it was great) and we are watching FATWS as they come out.
Been waiting for you to cover this. The pictures have been circulating for a few days but now we have some excerpts. The veranda will be handling social distancing take out all day. Mark & Colin will be delivering refreshments curbside. We’re starting with waffles and strawberries and some very crispy bacon.
There are also pictures floating around from the set of Essex Serpent with Clare Danes wearing one of the worst wigs ever but Tom looks good.
Can’t wait for Loki; we’re under 2 months now.
ETA if the 2020 Tony Awards ever happen, he’s nominated for Best Actor in a play for Betrayal, a well-deserved nomination.
Ha, the Essex Serpent wig! It’s either a sister to Mia’s one from Crimson Peak, or even the same one, just repurposed.
I seriously can’t wait to read this interview and am looking forward to more Loki promo. The break seems to have done Tom well, he comes across as more mature but still HOT.
(Re Tony awards: there were so many open spots, it’s bad/sad that they didn’t nominate Zawe. I liked her a lot)
Thanks for having the usual veranda staples served curbside, we can’t risk anything right now!
Oh, I think it’s much worse! The color of it is just so off. I wish Keira had been able to stay in the role,; I would like to see them work together.
That Best Actress category is tough with Joaquina Kalugango, Audra McDonald, Laura Linney, and Mary Louise Parker all competing.
It actually was a numbers thing. There were so few dramas with leading actress parts that only four Tony nomination slots were available. Three went to actresses who had previously won/been nominated. Zawe missed out on the newcomer spot. Need more female lead dramas.
I want all the good things for him. The Hiddleswift era was awesome gossip fun for us but it did him some real career damage. I hope this is the start of a great comeback.
I really do love Tom in most of his projects. It’s unfortunate that he thought getting involved with Taylor Swift of all pop stars was a good choice because it really brought his cool factor down.
I definitely want to see him in more things outside of Marvel movies.
The trailers remind me strongly of #5 and the Temps Aeternalis from the Umbrella Academy. Loki is my favorite MCU character so I’ll definitely be watching the series.
I think Hiddleston was smart to step back for a few years. He did oversaturate himself between Tiddles-gate and the mid key public Bond audition. He’s talented though and I think he’ll bounce back.
I’m really happy he’s back. I think the time away from the spotlight did him a world of good – he was always a sweetheart, but he was just a LOT even pre-Tiddles Tour 2016 (all innocent stuff, but annoying to me nonetheless lol). He sounds a lot more mature, settled in himself, and self aware these days (while still maintaining the enthusiasm that made him cute to begin with – did he just fully whip out a quote from Only Lovers Left Alive on the spot, lol?).
He’s genuinely one of my favorite actors these days, not just because he’s talented, but because I actually believe he’s a really, really good guy. I read this story the other day about how a day-player on the Loki set was so bowled over by Tom’s kindness and respect for him even though he was “a nobody.” I read stuff like this and my heart explodes. How can I not love him?
Also, he looks hot on this cover.
@Case: The story you’re referring to was shared by the actor Jon Levine, who appears in the Loki trailer as the bureaucrat who tells Loki to sign the pile of paper with “everything he has ever said”.
He shared it last year on his Reddit profile but couldn’t mention the actor’s name or even the production. But when he saw that the new trailer included the scene, he clarified that the story was about Tom.
Here it is:
https://www.reddit.com/r/acting/comments/j6i4vt/the_most_inspiring_day_ive_had_in_my_career/
Yup, that’s the one! This story melted my heart. Things like this are why I’m enamored, lol.
Love Hiddleston still. Shame about that golden globes speech & the Taylor Swift thing which was cringe and derailed him. Hope he gets his career back on track. He’s talented
He should just act and never give interviews. He’s so painfully embarrassing. His speech about how ngo workers or whatever thanked him for the night manager was worse than the whole Taylor thing.
I thought the media and the internet both behaved in a very HS bullying manner to him at the time. It was so ridiculous he didn’t do anything wrong. What did he do? He dated a girl who wasn’t part of the cool clique, and he tried to explain how his work with UNICEF made him feel. People really jumped on the latter especially and showed their asses IMO. He was out there doing some good in the world, what is wrong with people? I never got this whole backlash, but I do recognize bullying when I see it.
No one was bullying this rich white British man. He embarrassed himself through his own actions and people made fun of him for it.
I disagree. I do have an email address for complaints about my posts though.
@AGREED, Lanagen! It’d funny how defensive people are over the feelings of rich white men (and occasionally women) while everyone else gets paid dust.
I think it is funny that white people (especially men) are apparently insensitive blobs who cannot have any feelings which can be hurt. Why is it ok to bully anyone?
@Justme
I think some people just showed up to this thread determined not to have a good time lol
@Evenstar. I think you have it right! I’m just glad to see him back myself. Looking good and apparently happy. Very talented and seemingly a decent guy. And I love all the pictures we’ve been getting!
@Justme
Glad you’re here to defend the feelings of a famous rich white man, who is still famous, rich, and white, and who has still worked steadily, and who suffered nothing worse than a little ridicule.
Maybe people should spend their time defending people who actually need it? This guy is getting all kinds of sympathy for not being as big a star as he wanted, which, cry me a river.
@tcbc I think the main comments are that he got ridiculed in such a way that was VERY disproportionate to his innocuous “crimes.” Yes, he’s fine, he still has a career and is a privileged white guy, always will be. I don’t see anyone disputing that. It can still suck that he was made fun of for an excessively long time and felt the need to lay low because of how bad it got, when there are all sorts of genuine a-holes running around Hollywood without consequence. Those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
You should know that the people on here also spend plenty of time defending those who “actually need it.” We’ve got a caring and socially-conscious group on here. Talking about how we like a sweet British guy on a gossip website doesn’t discount that. 😉
@TCBC
Don’t get all holier than thou, you’re out here on the Tom Hiddleston comments section in your free time too lol
@tcbc – is it not possible to feel for any human being? Especially if they were bullied for trivial matters? What has his whiteness got to do with it? Or his maleness? Or even his wealth? Can one not feel for him as well as for any fellow human? Why does that take away from people who may be less privileged- Is there only a small amount of empathy or sympathy available in the world, which can be used up if not divided properly?
@Lanagen, you’re right yet again! lmao
Fans like to act as if they’re the white knights of these wealthy, vain celebrities hat don’t even know their names. It’s kind of absurd and a bit embarrassing. They’re cis, white, and wealthy. They have a huge support network. They’ll be fine.
Nobody tried to kill Tom Hiddleston, it was just jokes. When’s this kind of energy when it comes to non-white celebrities?
I just finished The Night Manager ( yes, I am hip and current with the youths).
I finally understand the appeal.
I know, right? I’m so disappointed that the 2016 drama probably killed his chance at Bond. After seeing how cool and sexy he was in The Night Manager, I would love to see him in a Bond movie.
HA!!!! I am right there with you, hip and current with the youths.
This looks good! I enjoyed Wandavision. I haven’t watched the falcon and the winter soldier yet. Is it any good?
I love it. I feel like a lot of people liked Wandavision more? But I’m not sure, just going by the buzz I guess. But I love the falcon and the winter soldier. And I’ll tell you, Mackie and Stan can act.
I liked Wandavision a bit more because I’m into the more mystical side of Marvel than the Captain America stuff (which I always have an impossible time remembering for some reason). That said, I think Falcon and the Winter Soldier is still really good, and I LOVE how Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan play off each other. They’re so good together.
I think what these shows have really driven home for me is that I genuinely like pretty much all the Marvel characters and I’m happy to spend more time with them in the TV show format.
Agree, I’m liking TFATWS better. Sebastian Stan steals every scene with his emo emoting and snarky lines, and Anthony Mackie has such gravitas.
It’s starts off very generic MCU fare but it’s getting much better with each episode, and the last episode to air was absolutely excellent. I preferred Wandavision and was way more excited to watch that every Friday night but FATWS might stick the landing better.
They are VERY different shows. I find Falcon and the Winter Soldier very topical and highly political. It’s definitely triggering a lot of discussion on a wide variety of issues like the treatment of veterans, BLM, the role of the US military on the world stage, propaganda, white male fragility, police brutality.
Plus Sebastian and Anthony are just a joy to watch together. And they even brought Wakanda into the story! I won’t spoil it but it was DELICIOUS.
I haven’t watched WandaVision yet and I unfortunately know the “twist” now because people just can’t not share these things on social media. Got spoiled when I wasn’t even looking for it. But I always had a soft spot for Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier and he has become my Marvel crush. I honestly didn’t really care all that much about any of the characters and wasn’t hugely bothered when major characters were killed off in the franchise (notably Infinity Wars).
And Anthony Mackie and Sebastian’s characters are fun to watch play off each other and are just really hilarious in interviews and constantly ragging on each other. Anthony is a huge extrovert and I feel like 90% of the things that come out of his mouth when he isn’t talking about serious things is total BS, he’s a big jokester. Meanwhile Sebastian is more serious and soft-spoken and a total introvert and I completely relate to his vibe.
Come for Mackie and Stan.
Stay for Florence Kasumba as an unstoppable force and Daniel Bruhl having the time of his life.
Florence was EVERYTHING! I was so excited to see Ayo again and watching her kick everyone’s @$$ made my spirits soar.
I couldn’t get into Wandavision enough to finish it, but I’m loving The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. And I’m not a Marvel super fan at all — I’ve probably only seen about half of the MCU stuff.
FATWS is fantastic. Marvel really knocked it out of the park with that and the sublime WandaVision so I’m excited for Loki.
If you liked WandaVision, I think you’ll like this. What I really appreciate about these MCU entries on Disney+ is that they allow us to spend more time with really great characters like Wanda, Vision, Bucky, and Sam who would likely be relegated to supporting roles in the films. WandaVision was a great superhero origin story and entry into the mystical side of the MCU, along with a moving conversation on grief. TFAWS is much more topical and hits on how the system fails so many, particularly post-“snap.”
I sort of love Tom Hiddleston. My husband identifies with him so much (in behaviour) after we watched a couple of interviews, so I kind of have to love Tom Hiddleston now. They both mean well I think, but can be a bit much for some.
Unfortunately, I won’t see this show because I just can’t download and pay for yet ANOTHER app to watch movies/tv. However, I love this guy–and when I met him briefly at an event in DC in 2016…he was a dancing FOOL with some pretty impressive moves, so I say “DANCE, TOM, DANCE!”
@Freddy, I’m so jealous and wish that I’d seen your comment earlier as it’s unlikely that your still hanging out in this post to respond. I was in the audience for the small free screening of ISTL. There was a Q&A with Tom and the director at the Landmark E; there was a brief it of singing but sadly no dancing. I’d love to hear more about your experience meeting him if you pop back in.
Sooooo excited for Loki!! The first trailer was a fun romp but I love how the latest one solidified the concept a bit more. I love ‘time’ anything so I’m totally down.
And happy to be deluged with Hiddles again. Poor man was torn down for being goofy and overeager. If there anything the last few years have shown, it’s that there are a LOT WORSE guys in Hollywood. Hiddles is a doll!
Mmmmmmmm….Tom. That’s it, that’s all I’ve got.
I feel bad about objectifying him but every time I see him, all I can think of is Carrie Bradshaw looking at a pair of Manolos in a shop window stating “Hello, Lover”
He is beautiful indeed
Watching too many old movies, Tom reminds me of Leslie Howard.
I have a soft spot for him because he seems sensitive, compassionate and talented, but I’ve never thought he’s cut out to be a huge star. Or to date other huge stars. He’s too earnest and awkward. He’s good-looking, but not a hunk. He’s articulate and well-mannered, but not exactly suave.
Loki was a character he had great fun with, but some obsessive/horny fans really made it kind of weird. Hope he’s still with Zawe, because she seems cool and talented, but otherwise, I don’t want to hear gossip about him.. As a fan of Tom’s work, I’d rather just see him pop up occasionally as a character actor, or see him do more theater when live theater has a resurgence. Honestly, he could just make a fortune doing voice acting.
Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame, if you are the one person on the planet who still wants to see it, but hasn’t.
When Loki died, in the first 10 minutes, I spent the rest of that REALLY long movie, sobbing. My poor (then 10 year old) son has spent every single minute since being trapped in that theater with me, sobbing, asking me if something is going to make me cry, because I clearly traumatized the eff out of him. *shrug* That’s what therapy is for?
I LOVE Tom Hiddleston, so, so much. When I have been depressed, during the pandemic, I instantly go to the youtube videos of him dancing, because I think it is absolutely impossible to be depressed, and watch the joy of how much Tom Hiddleston loves to dance.
In my normally long winded way, I’m just trying to say, Tom Hiddleston, YOU HAVE BEEN MISSED!
When I’m sad during the pandemic I watch Pedro Pascal vids and interviews – he’s lovely – or Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan interviews – they’re hilarious.
Hiddles interviews are ok though, he’s an interesting combination of measured erudite and overenthusiastic puppy.
I also watch videos of Pedro Pascal when in need for a positivity boost during this pandemic. It is either Pedro or Westlife stage mistakes vids (and of course Shnicky!), because none of those ever fail to make me smile. Thanks for the tip regarding Mackie/Stan interviews, I will check them out. I haven’t started watching TFAWT yet, but plan to in the next few days.
And it’s nice having Hiddles back, I really hope they nail it with the Loki series.
If you’re new to the Stackie stuff, the compilations that include The Winter Soldier/Civil War/Infinity War/panels and even the recent ones are the best. (Starting with the FATWS stuff interview by interview is a bit dry because for the most part everyone’s separated.)
Pedro Pascal vids are like seratonin shots, lol.