Tom Hiddleston is still promoting Disney+’s Loki series, which starts next week. While we’ve gotten some interviews with Tom (in Empire and Entertainment Weekly), I guess we’re not getting the Full Hiddles promotional tour. The pandemic is a factor, I’m sure, but I would also bet that Marvel has encouraged Tom to possibly take it down a notch. They were maybe like “we don’t need Dancing, Eager-to-Please Hiddles this time around.” Tom also hasn’t done any men’s magazine covers? I was half-expecting a GQ or Esquire cover, but I guess not. Tom did give an interview to Emmy Magazine, and here are some highlights:
He went to see “Avengers: Endgame” in the theater, with regular people: “I became an ordinary cinema-goer who would see the films on opening weekend… with films like ‘Doctor Strange’ and ‘Black Panther,’ it felt like the Marvel Cinematic Universe had become more ambitious and profound, with deeper and richer characters.”
He thought he was saying goodbye to Loki for good in 2017: “The producers were on the set my last day, and we had some very sincere goodbyes. There were hugs and a ‘Come see us anytime’ and ‘Thank you for your hard work.’ I thanked them for the opportunity and certainly thought, ‘Oh, this is it.'”
The Loki series: “The TVA represents order to the chaos. Loki confronting this institution is a thrilling jumping-off point because he must take in an environment that he doesn’t understand and can’t control. One of the themes of the show is about identity and raising a question whether Loki can run from who he is and is capable of change. It’s only once we accept who we are that we can evolve and grow.” If Marvel decides to move forward with a second season of “Loki,” Tom is, of course, fully on board: “I’m here for the ride,” he says.
Why he loves playing Loki: “What I love about Loki is that he’s playful and charming and witty and dangerous and mercurial. He’s also fragmented and broken and solitary and isolated. As one character says in the show, no one good is ever truly good and no one bad is truly bad. That’s a fascinating anchor.”He pitched his ideas to Marvel: The role is so important to Tom that before anyone shot a single frame of “Loki,” he gave a formal presentation to the crew’s department heads to ensure everyone was on the same page regarding the character’s background and motivations.
I genuinely wonder if Marvel would have done this much with the Loki character if the character hadn’t become such a fan-favorite, and if Tom wasn’t so enormously popular in the role. I genuinely believe that Kevin Feige shifted his ideas for the character based on Tom and Loki’s popularity, and beyond being a fan-favorite, Tom is a personal favorite within Marvel.
Marvel released this behind-the-scenes featurette, which I enjoyed:
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
I don’t get the Loki obsession. To me he’s just another overhyped white male character. Tom’s a good actor and you can tell he enjoys playing the role, but I don’t need Loki to die and come back in every other movie.
I think Loki is one of the more interesting characters in Marvel for exactly that – he’s not completely bad, he’s not completely good, and sometimes he veers more towards the bad end, sometimes more towards the good end. Plus, Tom plays him so well. I’m looking forward to the series.
I love Loki and I love Tom. That’s all I have to say.
I suspect you’re right about Loki’s continuation. I only say that because I wasn’t a huge superhero/villain person and I didn’t know who Hiddleston was until I saw the Avengers that came after the first Thor (that I didn’t bother seeing) and my first thought afterwards was who the hell was that guy who played Loki and why do I want to see more Loki now?
Same! I didn’t bother watching the original Avengers in the theater. I read a few reviews and remembered that the actor playing Loki was specially praised, but thought, eh, not a Loki fan and just didn’t care (even though I loved other Marvel movies).
And then I was stuck in a hotel room with my sister, who put the movie on her laptop, and omg I was hooked. He was so good, and I wanted to see more of him. I, too, believe that Tom’s take on the character and the resulting popularity changed Feige’s plans for Loki.
I am hyped for the tv show.
Loki is a great character and Tom’s acting elevates the character even more. Plus Tom is, by all accounts, a delight to work with, so I’m sure Feige is happy to create more projects as an excuse to work with him.
Same. I would not be surprised to learn that Tom is an actual warlock because even in the bloated Avenger’s casts, he draws my focus like no other, he’s just magnetic. I’m not even impressed with Chris Hemsworth’s arms when Tom is in a scene with him, I am too concentrated on the expressions Tom Hiddleston is pulling off. (no, I’m not really serious about the warlock bit)
We have fresh strawberries and cheese blintzes on the veranda this morning and are gearing up for the big day next week – Loki Wednesday!
They’re doing the same level and type of promotion for this as they did for Wandavision and Falcon & Winter Soldier. There will probably be a Kimmel appearance next week. Tom isn’t saying anything he hasn’t said before. They are being really, really careful not to give away any plot points on this one. Most of the clips look like they’re all in the first episode, with the exception of one or two images. We have seen nothing of Richard E. Grant or Sophie DiMartino at all.
Has filming finished on Essex Serpent? If he’s filming something, he might not be available for much beyond these videos. Dr Strange has also started filming in London and it’s possible Loki makes an appearance in that.
Oh Richard E Grant is in it, I will DEF watch it then.
I have missed these veranda chats – i will be there with my Pims.
Mmmmm, Pimm’s! My summer drink of choice. I buy a bottle every Memorial Day weekend. It’s a tradition! Oh, and yeah..Hiddles and Loki. Another fine tradition in my house!
@LightPurple I remember reading that Keira Knightley turned down the Essex Serpent role because it was a four-month shoot and she was concerned about childcare during the pandemic. So I think he’ll still be working on it into the summer.
I read that too but I think they have already been filming for a few months now.
Ah yes, that’s possible!
I think that they started filming in Feb. or March so it should be near completion. It may also be that even if they are still filming, Tom has completed his parts.
Aw, LP, I may not be much of a Marvel fan, but I love seeing a veranda party in these parts again. Sounds lovely.
Esmon, there’s a seat for you on the glider, with a fine view of the peonies. Colin will be right along for your beverage order.
Lol, thank you. Peonies are my favorite and while I’m not drinking booze these days I have been craving a tall glass of fresh squeezed lemonade. Can I bring some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies?
Of course! Lemonade coming right up!
I’ve missed these varanda parties! LP what do you need me to bring?
Just yourself. Colin takes care of everything.
Gosh, veranda time, puts me back to 2016 . . .
And memories of all the fun commentaries from LP and Sixer.
Well be safe, everyone.
And keep the Tom coverage coming!
Hello from the other side of the world, somewhere in Europe.
Let me add a pear&gorgonzola quiche to the veranda’s countdown party, and a few bottles of rosé.
I initially wasn’t exactly looking forward to Marvel making a Loki series, even if I enjoyed the character immensely, the way Tom brought him to life.
But after watching the clips I have to admit I can’t wait. The cast seems good – even Owen Wilson, who I don’t really like – and I am a fan of Gugu, Wunmi and Richard E. Grant.
Good to see Tom was made exec producer, he’s so enthusiastic in the clip above, he seems to have had a great time on set with the whole team.
We thank you for your contribution. Colin will pour you a glass.
Oh lovely! Veranda time is the best. I’ll smuggle in a few bottles of Five Farms Irish cream (yes I stock up every time I’m at Trader Joe’s) for anyone who wants to add a bit of the Irish to their coffee!
Another solipsistic, meaningless quote. You can promote your film about an anti-hero without resorting to inane moral relativism. Hitler was bad and was truly bad. Sometimes it is that simple. Very tired of intellectual lightweights mangling philosophy in the name of sounding deep.
I don’t think he had Hitler in mind when he said that. It’s not that deep, it’s just a promo interview to drum up excitement for a tv show, not an academic lecture.
And he says he’s quoting a line from a character in the show. It’s a plot point, not his views on life.
But Hitler loved animals and that is a good thing was the point he meant, the worst people have things about them that are good, they don’t negate the evil of course.
Seriously, there is no call for Hitler in this conversation.
It works for his character but yeah, I thought the same. In real life, we don’t need excuses for evil men… like I don’t want to hear “oh Trump is a loving grandfather” or “oh Mitch McConnell treats his wife well.”
@WhoElse LOL-Agreed!!! How about we leave the philosophical and moral debates of good and evil, that have existed from the beginning of time, to perhaps – more sophisticated & intellectual minds? That have studied, analyzed it, and wrote extensively upon the topic! Hitler, as you mentioned, is a perfect example. I am sorry – some people are purely evil. If you are of certain religious beliefs, you may believe they can be redeemed, yet there is no arguing Hitler was anything but evil. Period.
Eh, but is he wrong? Nobody is 100% good and nobody is 100% bad, there’s always levels of it. And this is extremely important for Loki because he moves in the sphere of 50/50 percent normally (although I presume he’ll be more good than bad for this, you can’t have too evil of a hero). So it makes sense of him talking about it in this context.
He’s quoting a character from the show talking about another character in the show. He’s not talking about Hitler. People are taking things out of context, over analyzing, and overreacting. As always.
Come and have a refreshing beverage on the veranda.
@Nanny to the Rescue – Actually there are many philosophers/religious writers etc., that would very much disagree with that. But I have no idea Hiddleston was quoting a character on the show….that makes more sense.
@AmyB, in philosophy and religious debate you can, depending on the school of thought, make a case for just about anything. I personally disagree with 100% evilness of anyone, bad Austrian painter included. (Some people are MUCH worse than others, tho, that I can agree with.)
@Lightpurple, thank you! I will take whatever you have, as long as there’s a green umbrella in it. I missed Hiddles and I’m so happy he finally shaved.
Wow, that took an expected turn. I, for one, am definitely going to take LP’s advise and join the party on the veranda and chill, basking in all the Hiddles love.
Lighten up, Francis.
For everyone having a meltdown, I clearly identified it as a quote. My comment was not aimed at the speaker, but the idea he was pushing along as if it was sound. It was conceived by a scriptwriter that probably saw it as “deep”, but it is facile and has been used to justify terrible things. It’s telling who has been a victim of historical moral relativism and who hasn’t; the “just chill out” crowd haven’t suffered as a result of the actions of “nuanced” people, so it’s all hypothetical to them. When your tribe, nation, even your own life were damaged by people who others called (or still call) a “good man”, the issue is a lot less academic. It’s the same argument for keeping Confederate statues up: “was he really ALL bad? Yes, he owned slaves and butchered people to keep owning slaves, but he also built a university and was a loving husband”. I’m sick and tired of the lazy convenience of the un-oppressed.
@Nanny to the Rescue – Read Dr. Scott Peck’s book – People of the Lie. He also wrote “The Road Less Traveled” He is a psychiatrist and well known author. His book, People of the Lie, describes his encounters during psychiatric therapy with patients who are not merely ill, but manifest pure evil. The debate becomes whether or not, there is hope for redemption for them. I don’t know how you can look at extreme examples of pure evil in people, such as – Jeffrey Dahmer, Hitler, Osama Bin Laden, Ted Bundy…and say oh it’s a matter of degree. Parents who brutally abuse and murder their infant children? No, sorry.
The concept of evil is interesting, but it doesn’t really exist in a quantifiable way. People who can be described as “evil manifest” are all genuinely ill in some way. Often those parents who kill their own infant children are in a cycle of substance abuse, have been victimized themselves, and/or have severe untreated psychiatric/personality disorders. I agree their actions could be called evil, but they themselves are ill. As a mental health professional, I disagree that a psychiatrist should be pushing the idea of ANYONE being “evil” instead of “ill,” whether it’s due to brain chemistry, socialization, or most likely a combination.
@Evenstar
I find your correlation of “mentally ill people” with “evil people” to be disturbing. There are plenty of people who could be defined as evil who were/are not mentally ill in any way, shape, or form.
Mentally ill people are not evil.
@Ur Right Babe
As I said, I don’t believe in evil people. I believe that people who are ill CAN do things which are seen as evil. As for people who you say are evil but are not ill OR socialized to act the way they do, who would you give as an example?
My argument was definitely not that that mentally ill people are evil, but that what people would describe as “evil” is really a manifestation of social factors and untreated disorders, such as antisocial personality disorder or depression with psychotic features, just as examples. Labeling people as just evil removes any chances of treatment or change, and just makes ourselves feel better to not be “like them.” Given the wrong circumstances, most people would be “evil.”
That Peck book is really interesting. It’s been years since I’ve read it, but I seem to remember that part of what got him exploring the theme of evil, or evil people is that he was treating someone who seemed really troubled but then when meeting with their family members eg their parents was like “oh hang on, my patient isn’t the problem here … his parents are actively, purposely psychologically harming him while smiling and acting like they are normal and concerned.”
It is small scale, compared to Hitler, but there are people in my family who, given the choice and many many chances will repeatedly choose the path that harms someone. They may smile and be sweet and make cookies for a bake sale, but they also will lie and undermine and gaslight when they think they can get away with it, and are skilled, master manipulators managing their “good” images while knifing and trying to destroy their targets (sometimes their own children)
I don’t care how “nice” they “seem” or how much they put in the church collection basket on Sunday. Their actions have shown me they will purposely cause harm, spread lies, and crush the spirit of vulnerable people… and do so without remorse, and repeatedly, even when they see the damage they cause; so yes, they are evil.
You got the stans mad lol
You are right and you should say it! I’m tired of these vapid attention wh*re celebs acting cultured. Especially the likes of silver-spoon celebs like Hiddleston talking about intellectual pursuits or hardwork. Pluh-ease!
I honestly cannot understand the need to defend the rich white man from meanies on the internet. It’s fine. He doesn’t read the celebtchy comment section lol
Excited for this and for early reviews to come out today and this weekend!
I love Tom (and Loki!) but man, this is turning out to be the most boring promo tour. It’s just him regurgitating quotes about the character he’s said over the years. I get that he wants to be *private* now and understand that but I feel like he can say SOMETHING new without being too revealing.
Some of that might also be to keep spoilers to a minimum. They might not be much he is *allowed* to say about the plot, or where Loki is mentally, or his journey through-out the episodes, or any of that normal stuff he would probably discuss. He’s likely been ordered to vague things up as much as possible or he’ll get a shock collar like Mark Ruffalo and Spider-Tom.
Laughing at Ruffalo accidentally leaving his phone on and broadcasting the first 20 minutes of Ragnorak on Instagram Live.
Hiddleston was put in charge of guarding Holland for part of the Infinity Wars tour to prevent him from blurting out spoilers.
I totally understand he can’t say much about the show! I just wish he’d say something, anything, about himself, even if it’s just a hobby he picked up in quarantine lol. I feel like it’s almost a bit odd to promote something and not talk at ALL about yourself — there’s usually a personal anecdote thrown in somewhere. Perhaps if he does a TV interview this will happen.
@Case, maybe if he goes on Colbert. It won’t be anything deeply personal, just some shared interest between the two of them. They seem to really enjoy each other and that’s where we got stories of “Naked Class” – they both did “Naked Class” in school – and he joined in with the band to play spoons while Colbert sang.
I get it. Once bitten, twice shy as they say. Things got so out of hand with him that he was getting pap’d with a writer doing an article on him and ppl thought they were dating.
But maybe he has a dog he can show pix of and tell funny stories about. That would make for good talk show fodder.
He has a cocker spaniel named Bobby. Bobby has stalkers.
Bobby has stalkers?? The world has gone nuts.
Hiddles!! I know that all his pontificating about Loki and his semi-philosophical acting method come across as try-hard to people, but I love that he thinks about things carefully and is intellectual about his work. We’d be in a very different place if more people, especially white men, did more thinking and soul-searching about themselves and their actions.
Also, I thought it was ridiculous that he gave a presentation on Loki to the studio, but then I saw that he wrangled himself an executive producer credit, so the whole Loki PowerPoint makes a little more sense there. Go, Tom!
I did get slightly hysterical at the idea of Tom in front of his Loki powerpoint slides. I trust he suffered from all the usual IT problems the rest of us wade through in those situations…
“Can you see it on the screen?’
“No”
“Now?”
“No”
“It’s on the laptop screen”
“Well it’s not on the main screen. Press Fn 8 again”
Etc.
I am going to hysterically laugh at each and every fantasy I am now having about Tom and PowerPoint.
Yes, a character *says* that no one is truly bad or good. Respectfully, that’s a line from a movie. Some people know all too well that a person can have purely malicious intent.
I love loki. One of my favorite characters in the MCU.
I thought this came out TODAY. Then I looked at the calendar was like, Why are they releasing the first episode in the middle of the week???? Then I got it. Wednesday. Because it’s *Wednesday*.
Anyone else watching Ragnarok?
The actor playing Laurits. Loki incarnate, is simply so far above Tom.
And he’s wrong, people very can be all bad or evil.
@Hyrulecastle Laurits is dominating that show and I think that it due to a combination of the actor’s capabilities, the character and the amount of screen time and character development the Loki is getting here. Loki is just the most interesting character in the Thor story-not the most pivotal, the most interesting.
The way Laurits changes his affect, his look and his body movements, sometimes in the same episode, is stunning. The actor is amazing.
I’ve watched season one of Ragnarok twice, I can’t wait to see season two!
Excellent show and excellent acting
Yes, I’ve been watching and agree with you. I think it’s a combination of the actor being very interesting and the nature of the character.
Magne, the living manifestation of Thor, is kind of a dull character compared to Laurits, even when Magne is fully powered up. And the actor, in this anyway, comes across as less charismatic and without as much of a range.
I got completely sucked into that show and binge watched the second season in 2 days.
It does have the annoying teen drama trope of the key adults being unobservant dolts (and in the case of Turid, non-communicative and unobservant.)
But it’s entertaining enough and I’d be interested in seeing some of the actors in other things (Isolde, Laurits, all the giants, eg)
As someone who used to be really into Marvel for a while, I gotta say I’m getting superhero fatigue tbh. I’m going to watch the first few eps of this show and see what’s up, because I’ve been none too impressed with the latest batch of shows from marvel. Maybe it’s time for the superhero bubble to burst ngl…
I like Loki as a character and I love Gugu Mbatha-Raw, so we’ll see. Hopefully it’s good.
Loki has always been compelling to me, on the page, but Tom’s portrayal is definitely why Loki is my favorite character, from ANY universe. He just has so much fun with the role, and it shows.