Tom Hiddleston Teases Thor: The Dark World and Explains Why He Loves Playing Loki
Posted 08.06.12 by Ryan
British actor Tom Hiddleston was a relative unknown before being cast as the villain Loki in last year's Thor but now Hiddleston is known enough at least to be the recipient of his own fan mail. Having already reprised the part in this summer's The Avengers, Hiddleston will play the role a third time later this year as the sequel Thor: The Dark World starts production. After Total Film's readers voted Hiddleston "Hottest Actor," the actor discussed the role of Loki and what audiences may find so appealing about him.
In the words of Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner: "Loki’s mind is a box of cats. You can smell crazy on him!" In all seriousness though, I have received a lot of incredibly passionate and articulate letters from fans, explaining how they're drawn to Loki’s psychological and emotional complexity; that he's a villain you can almost root for; a villain you can love to hate, or hate to love. Underneath the steely cold veneer of his trickster charm is a certain vulnerability and sensitivity — the wounded fragility of an outcast brother and son. His mind IS a box of cats though! But I love him.
As for what appeals most to Hiddleston about playing Loki, the actor said, "he is my diametric opposite."
Physically, he is a photo negative of who I am. Loki is dark and pale, and I am light and fair. Also spiritually I am not much like him either. Yet I feel an incredible freedom in playing him.
He is a combination of mercurial intellectual ability, emotional ambiguity, rakish charm, charisma and provocative wit. He has a wicked inclination to mischief, underneath which is a well of spiritual pain. Both these aspects are central to his depth as a character: his unashamed and perverse delight in creating chaos; and his capacity for raw emotional expression.
And — as my American friends tell me — he's kind of a badass! He's one of the richest, most rewarding, most fun characters I've ever played.
Hiddleston won't be the only villain in Dark World. Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) was recently cast as Malekith the Accursed, who, in the Marvel comic books, joined Loki in an attempt to take over Asgard. While shooting starts today, Hiddleston wouldn't give away and details but teased that the sequel will be "utterly brilliant."
I don't want to give too much away. But I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed. [Director] Alan Taylor's vision of Thor 2 is utterly brilliant. The journey continues in the most epic dimension and proportion imaginable. It's very, very exciting.
Next Showing: Thor: The Dark World opens Nov. 8, 2013