Real Life Of LOKI. Tom Hiddleston The Whole Story (Loki, Avengers, Thor, Crimson Peak)
A goodwill ambassador or a sneaky, dodgy Loki? One of the most talented actors on the planet or just a victim of the blind love of Marvel fans? The future James Bond? Who is he - one of the most talented actors on the planet – Tom Hiddleston? If you know this guy only as Loki, we are glad to assure you that he has many more roles, which are unlikely to leave anyone indifferent. He creates unique, memorable characters and independently produces movies. He modestly possesses the title of one of the sexiest men on the planet and proudly holds the position of UNICEF goodwill ambassador. But isn't he stuck in the character of a charming villain? And why does he always have bad luck with movies? Today on "WeActToday" we will tell you in detail about this actor and find out why everyone loves Tom Hiddleston so much. Now let's get started.
Childhood
Thomas William Hiddleston was born on 9 February 1981 in Westminster in the family of a pharmaceutical company director and an arts administrator. Tom's mother is an aristocrat – hence his ability to be confident in public and in the frame, and his dignified behavior offscreen. It is worth saying that the whole family of Hiddleston consists entirely of respectful individuals. For example,his great-grandfather, Edmund Hoyle, being esquire, was awarded "For timely delivery of quality products for British soldiers during the First World War" and, by decree of the Queen, was awarded the title of baronet. And his great–grandfather, Vice-Admiral Reginald Serves, was commander of the British Reserve Fleet and commandant of HMS London. Well, the actor managed to continue the tradition with dignity and become a prominent figure of his time. Thomas ' father James Norman Hiddleston was the businessman. He worked hard to build his career, and this fact greatly motivated his three children, especially his son. James was born in a very poor family, but, thanks to perseverance and great willpower, he achieved everything by himself and managed to grow up to the head of a large pharmaceutical company. Tom constantly says in his interviews that for his career, perseverance and hard work he is grateful first of all to his father. The desire to arouse his father's pride and fear of letting the family down were the best motivation for the actor to work more than his colleagues. Tom's mother Diana Patricia Hiddleston belongs to an aristocratic family. Before marriage, the woman worked as an arts administrator and stage manager, but later chose to leave her job and devote all her time to her three children and their upbringing. If Hiddleston's father was an example and motivation, his mother was a real source of strength. It was the mother who surrounded the future star with warmth, love and support, and at the same time the sisters praised the talent, appearance and mind of Thomas. Nevertheless, the parents of the future actor made a difficult decision to break up when the boy was only 13 years old. However, this did not affect the desire of Tom's father to communicate with him and other children and support them both morally and financially. His father's hard-earned financial wealth helped Hiddleston attend the Dragon School, a boarding school in Oxford, and then Eton College and Cambridge. It was in his teens that Thomas developed a serious interest in theater and acting. It all starts with home plays that he and his sisters put on in front of their parents on vacation. Even then, his relatives noticed his talent as an actor. And the favorite game of childhood "Balloon Debate", where the participants had to portray some celebrity, day after day even more revealed the boy's skills. It was during this game that young Tom was noticed by the director of the school drama club and invited him to participate in a theatrical production. Tom continues to attend this theater group even after finishing school, Eton College, and while studying in the famous Cambridge University.Hiddleston attended Eton College with Prince William and Eddie Redmayne. Despite a very high level of education, as a student, Tom never thought of himself as an elite and at the same time never disdained the simplest work.In the summer, he worked as a waiter, trying to gain complete financial independence.Tom was a serious rugby player at Cambridge University. In memory of that time, the actor had a scar on his arm. However, he had to give up his favorite sport to fully devote himself to acting. His first significant role was in the play "A Streetcar Named Desire". Tom was so bright and talented that he attracted the attention of the Hamilton Hodell agency. It was this moment that can be considered a turning point in the fate of Hiddleston. He no longer doubted what profession to choose and after Cambridge he entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
Like many actors, Tom Hiddleston begins his career on television. His first work is a small episode in the film "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby" (2001). Then there are a few more characters in Conspiracy (2001) and The Gathering Storm (2002). Unfortunately, actor has to wait for big roles in movies for a long five years. But he'll wait for it. In 2005, Tom graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. As you can see, he does not drop out of school even after the first film roles. After graduation, Hiddleston gets his first film role, playing Oakley in Joanna Hogg's first feature film, Unrelated (2006). His sister Emma also appeared in the film as Badge. Casting director Lucy Bevan, who took him in the movie, said that "There was a fantastic confidence in him." It is worth noting that dreams of cinema do not prevent Tom from realizing himself as a theater actor. Quite the opposite – the first recognition comes to him precisely because of theatrical roles. In 2008, Hiddleston was awarded with “'Theatregoers' Choice Awards" for his brilliant performance as Cassio in William Shakespeare's Othello, and then he was nominated in the Best Debut category for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Awards. However, the world fame comes to Hiddleston, after all, thanks to the big screen. Every role in the movie played by Tom is warmly accepted by critics and viewers, and no matter how controversial the picture is, no one ever has any complaints about the actor's performance. 2008 was a turning point for Hiddleston. He was invited to play Mr. John Plumptre in the film "Miss Austen Regrets". In this semi-biographical TV movie about the life of the world-famous writer Jane Austen, the Hollywood star plays John Plumptre - a young man who cares for the niece of the main character. And although the film itself did not cause any enthusiasm among critics and viewers, it was impossible not to pay attention to Hiddleston's talent and appearance. It is this role that becomes significant for the actor – finally, he begins to get worthy offers.
breakthrough
2011 was a real breakthrough for Tom. He played F. Scott Fitzgerald in Midnight in Paris The actor played the American writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald, the author of "The Great Gatsby","The Night is Tender" and other world-famous works in one of the lightest films of the genius Woody Allen. Like any other role of intelligent bright men, this character was quite easy for him. The most curious thing was that for this role, Hiddleston did not have to, as usual, repaint himself in a burning brunette or wear a matching wig. All those were his own, natural, sweet and good-natured. To invite Tom to play Fitzgerald, Woody Allen sent him a short letter, which literally consisted of a few sentences: "Dear Tom, I'm making a film in Paris this summer. I have attached several pages of the script. I'd like you to play the part of Scott." The actor was so impressed by the famous director's personal request that he still keeps this letter in a frame on the wall. In the same year, the movie “The Deep Blue Sea” was released. In this film, Tom played a retired pilot who found it difficult to adapt to ordinary life, where everything was completely different from what he was used to. So the hero drowned out mood swings and reflection with alcohol. Hiddleston's partner on the set was the talented Rachel Weisz. Hiddleston is not very lucky with the film, but lucky with the role. Critics coldly treat the picture, but note that the acting of the main characters really attracts the attention. Tom perfectly conveys all the facets of the complex nature of Freddie Page. It’s difficult not to like this quite negative character. Then, Tom played Captain Jim Nicholls in War Horse The director of the film, Steven Spielberg, drew attention to Tom when he played the role of Captain of the British Army John Randle in the TV series "Victoria Cross heroes". A touching and exciting story about the friendship of a young man and a horse, made Tom, who plays Captain Jim Nicholls, thoroughly prepare for the role. He, like several other actors in the film, had to devote two months to learning how to ride a horse. According to Hiddleston, during the filming of the movie, Spielberg gave him invaluable advice on acting. So in one of the scenes, the director asked the actor to imagine himself as a nine-year-old boy who found himself in the center of a battle. So Spielberg managed to "get" real emotions, real fear and despair out of Tom. By the way, Hiddleston's future partner in "The Avengers " Benedict Cumberbatch also played in "War Horse"
Iconic Role Loki
now we're finally getting close to the very role that made Hiddleston famous all over the world. In 2011, Marvel released Thor, where Tom played the Norse god of mischief - Loki. Kenneth Branagh, the director of the film, drew attention to the talented actor back in 2008, working together on the stage of the theater, as well as on the set of the TV series "Wallander". Even then, Branagh noticed Tom's abilities and realized that he was capable of many things. In fact, Loki fans should thank Kenneth for inviting Tom to the casting. It is interesting that Tom originally auditioned for the role of Thor. Imagine him as the god of thunder, who is banished to Earth for his arrogance and pride. However, there is no need to imagine anything, it is better to look at it: The auditions were quite successful, and the happy actor already began to prepare for the shooting, intensively gaining weight and pumping steel muscles. What was Hiddleston's surprise when he was invited to repeat auditions and handed the replicas of another character – the half-brother of the main character, the god of cunning and mischief Loki. Tom masterfully managed to create a unique, charismatic and memorable character, hiding for a while his natural intelligence and kindness. However, Tom had to prepare for the role of Loki even more intensively than for the role of Thor. It was hard for him to lose weight gained earlier. What’s more, Marvel saw the god of mischief as a thin, fit and nimble character. During the preparation for the role of Loki, Tom had to not only lose weight, but also learn capoeira - a Brazilian martial art. The actor himself, by the way, does not consider Loki a negative character at all. Of course, Tom admits, there is certainly anger, cunning and resourcefulness in him, but he is not evil, he just makes the wrong decisions. It's all about his ambitions and loneliness, the actor believes, because Loki is sure that he was betrayed by his own, adopted family. Fighting against the family, in his heart, he worries about what he has done. When he loses his loved ones, he is sad as any person would be. Throughout the history of the Marvel cinematic universe, Loki has gone through a dramatic personal transformation. Who should he thank for this? What is the true purpose of the character? What is the hidden meaning of his character? And why should Loki be silent? We answered all these questions in great detail in our other video dedicated exclusively to this charismatic character. Click on the popup card or go to description and find the link. Be sure, there are a lot of things you didn't know, it’s worth your time! Tom himself describes Loki as a more mischievous version of Edmund from Shakespeare's King Lear. In William Shakespeare's play, Edmund is the illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester, who envied his half-brother, the earl's legitimate son, Edgar, and tricked his father into sending Edgar into exile. Hiddleston considers the role of Loki a unique opportunity to show his "dark side", without causing, at the same time, harm to others. The so-called legal opportunity to be a bad guy and not offend loved ones. By the way, after working on the film, Tom and Chris Hemsworth became very good friends. After the release of the movie , Loki immediately gained a huge fanbase, and began to appear in all the tops of the most charming movie villains in history.
Love Of Shakespeare | The Hollow Crown
Speaking of Shakespeare. Tom adores him and compares Shakespeare's poetry with a maze. It is full of twists and turns, so it may seem confusing and intimidating at first. But if during the process of preparation you went all the way from the edge to the center of the maze, and you know where you should turn, if you, as an actor, know how to pass the maze, you can lead the rest of the people through it faster, with understanding and fun. A year after the release of Thor, Tom had the opportunity to star as Henry V in the TV series "The Empty Crown" - an adaptation of the historical plays of the great playwright. Participation in shooting of this series became special for Tom, because he, like many Britons, highly appreciates the work of Shakespeare and everything connected with it. Hiddleston's character is a prince. In his youth, he behaves recklessly – he drinks a lot, leads a rampant lifestyle, in every possible way disappoints and lets down his father. However, life circumstances force him to take up his mind. As a result, yesterday's prince becomes a general and King Henry V. Tom took the role very seriously. Critics noted how talented the actor showed the growing up of his character. He is cheerful and unbridled in the first parts of the chapter – a real prince, who knows no problems and enjoys his permissiveness. But towards the end, we see an adult, serious, responsible ruler, ready to take responsibility for the fate of his people, risking his life for the good of the country. A few years later, in 2013, thanks to Shakespeare, Tom Hiddleston would again return to the theater stage in the play "Coriolanus". The role of the most courageous fighter in Rome, who by the end of the play turned into a tyrant who hated people, was not easy for the actor. "This transformation, the growth from a brilliant warrior, a merciless 'dragon' to a 'man in tears' fascinated me, as did the fact that the reason for his intractability, valor, vulnerability, and all their further manifestations lies in his complex relationship and attachment to his mother," Tom said. His works were appreciated by both the audience and critics. For example, David Benedict of Variety praised his amazing performance. But Hiddleston was preparing not only mentally, but also physically. Day after day, he got his body in the shape of a ruthless Roman warrior. Also he worked on the choreography of the battle.
Personal Nanny The Avengers
In 2012, "The Avengers" was released. The audience once again saw on the screens the already legendary villain Loki. For this second appearance Hiddleston received the award "MTV Movie Awards'' in the categories "Best Villain" and "Best Fight". It’s interesting that during the shooting of the battle scene with Chris Hemsworth , who played Thor, director Joss Whedon said that the scene didn’t look real enough. So Hiddleston offered Hemsworth to hit him for real in the fight scene. In the end, Chris really hit Tom and this scene turned out to be really lively and realistic. Probably because of this, Tom got a real nanny - a special person who on the set made sure that Hiddleston did not get killed during filming. The fears were not unfounded. Tom was constantly falling, twisting his legs, smashing his face, and once almost poked out his eye with a tripod of a lighting device. No one wanted to risk one of the leading actors. The producers spared no expense in hiring a separate assistant to keep Tom safe. By the way, it is rumored that Tom Hiddleston's nanny also appears in the credits. But, as we know, Tom is good not only in high-budget action. In 2013, Jim Jarmusch's film "Only Lovers Left Alive" was released, which was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but the director barely managed to find funding for it. In 2016, the movie was even ranked among the 100 greatest films since 2000 by a survey of 177 critics from around the world. In it, Hiddleston played the ancient vampire Adam, and his partner was the magnificent Tilda Swinton. Jarmusch was the first to offer Tom a bold, bright and prominent role in a serious film. Hiddleston brilliantly manages to convey all the depressiveness and sadness of his character Adam, who lives detached from the world, and loves Detroit – as dark and depressing as he is. Critics praised Tom's work and his duet with Tilda Swinton. It is interesting that, by the beginning of shooting, Tom had to grow his own lush hair, however, he did not have time, and he, as, in fact, all the actors who played vampires, had to wear a wig made of human, yak and goat hair. These wigs were chosen in order to give the images of vampires wildness and naturalness. In addition, especially for the role, Hiddleston had to learn to play the lute and drums.
The Path of Loki
Next, the sequel of “Thor” - “Thor: The Dark world” was released. The film was received less warmly than the first part, but many praised it for the role of Tom and for the fact how deeply the experiences of his character were conveyed. After that Hiddleston starred in two more Marvel movies: "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Avengers: Infinity War". Because of the plot, the cunning Loki either became the main antagonist or decided to help positive characters or played a secondary, but no less significant role. And each time, Hiddleston made his character multifaceted, and charming. It’s not surprising that the Loki fan club is not inferior in scale to the army of fans of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America. Hiddleton was happy to take part in each of the Marvel movies. In his interviews, Tom says more than once that on the stage of accepting or refusing a role, he never focuses on the fee. He made enough money after the first Thor and the first Avengers. He also admits that Loki is not his favorite character, but he is definitely close and understandable for him. It will not be easy to say “goodbye” to this role, but will Tom have to? It all depends on the ratings of the series of the same name. The thing is that being so closely connected with Loki, he doesn't want to give the character to someone else at all. But we'll go back to 2015, when Tom played Sir Thomas Sharp in Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak. In the dark drama, Hiddleston plays the mysterious English baronet Tom gives 200 percent, however, even despite the love of Americans for Hank Williams, the picture has not been able to achieve high ratings and awards. Again, the same problem: Tom is lucky with the role, but isn’t lucky with the movie. In January 2014, Hiddleston became the face of Jaguar Cars Company in their "It's Good to Be Bad" ad campaign featuring British actors to promote new Jaguar models. He was joined by Mark Strong and Ben Kingsley. A year later, another film with Tom was released - it was High-rise. In the film adaptation of the satirical novel by James Ballard, Tom played Dr. Robert Laing – one of the residents of an elite high-rise, equipped with everything necessary for a happy life. The cast of "High-rise" is really excellent. Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, Elisabeth Moss. But Hiddleston didn’t remain unnoticed among the famous partners. On the contrary, he succeeded to stand out effectively against their background with the naturalness of acting. However, it was not the acting that was remembered by the audience. Footage of a naked actor covering his groin with a magazine spread across the Internet in the blink of an eye.
In early 2017, Hiddleston starred in a relaunch of the King Kong franchise, Kong: Skull Island. His colleagues from Marvel films, Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson, were his partners on the set. He played the experienced tracker of the British special forces, James Conrad, who is hired to accompany an expedition to a newly discovered island in the Pacific Ocean In the same year, Tom played the main character of William Shakespeare's Hamlet in a production by Kenneth Branagh. The play was limited in time - it ran for three weeks in a 160-seat theater, and tickets were distributed by lottery to raise funds for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The Guardian called Tom's character "an irresistible Hamlet with a genuine nobility of soul." Times also praised his performance, writing that he made the role "entirely his own, emotional, engaging, sly, often hilarious", and that "it's a pity that so few people will see his HiddleHamlet". After that, Tom returned to the role of the villain. But this time it was drawn. He voiced the character in Nick Park's animated film Early Man, which was released in early 2018. Later that year, he appeared in the short film Leading Lady Parts in support of the Time's Up movement alongside Emilia Clarke, Felicity Jones and Florence Pugh. Inspired by the Time's Up movement, the movie stars several A-list actresses auditioning for a leading lady role, offering a critique of the casting process. In 2019, Tom returned to the theater, playing the main role in the staging of “Betrayal”. Harold Pinter, the author of the play, is one of the most famous modern English playwrights, screenwriters and directors. The premiere of the play received positive reviews, and it had a full house in the West End. "Betrayal", told the story of a love triangle: a husband, a wife, a lover of the wife, who is also the best friend of the husband. It is a seven-year romance, the development of which the viewer observes in reverse chronological order. Tom managed to very subtly show the feelings of his husband, who was deceived for many years by the closest people. In the same year, Marvel announced that it was preparing a TV series about Loki. Initially, the project was supposed to tell about the childhood of the god of mischief, and Tom was supposed to be exclusively a narrator behind the scenes. But then the Marvel bosses apparently came to their senses, remembering the army of Loki fans, and they moved things around. During the promo campaign, Tom shared with fans that shooting this series was one of the most exciting creative opportunities he has ever encountered. lNot surprising, because the serial Loki is not the hero we saw in "The Avengers: Endgame". This is the antagonist from the Avengers of 2012, who managed to escape to another dimension after the Avengers interfered with the timeline. Tom also voiced his character in the TV series “What If?" where alternative stories of heroes of the Marvel cinematic universe are told. In 2021, the shooting of the mini-series The Essex Serpent based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Perry began. It stars Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes. Tom Hiddleston's career is truly brilliant. But, what about life behind the scenes? Fame came to the actor at the age of 30, but, as relatives and friends say, it did not spoil him at all.
Tom's fans can be proud of their idol – he has been involved in charity work for more than a decade, and in 2013 took part in a tour of Guinea as part of one of the UK's UNICEF projects. Many celebrities use their popularity for good things, drawing public attention to the most important world problems. Hiddleston doesn’t stand aside and openly speaks about the situation in West Africa, where the death rate of starving reaches two million children a year. “I am not engaged in the production of fortified milk for infants, I do not arrange vaccination and do not organize the delivery of medicines. Unfortunately, I am not able to do this. But I can talk about the problem of hunger. So why shouldn't I do it? This is my contribution to saving lives” - Hiddleston says. What about his personal life? Obviously, a person whose character is ranked second in the sexiest villains list shouldn't have a problem with women. As we have already said, Tom is a recognized sex symbol, but he does not consider himself sexual. And this is after all those explicit scenes in which he starred. Hiddleston says that he does not really understand male sexuality – he is closer to female sexuality. At various times, there were some rumors about Tom’s affair with Jessica Chastain, Elizabeth Olsen and even Angelina Jolie. He tries to hide his personal life carefully. However, the tabloids sometimes leak information about the actor's relationship. Since 2011, Tom Hiddleston has been dating actress Susannah Fielding for several years. The couple then broke up. In July 2016, Tom confirmed rumors that he was in a relationship with Taylor Swift. It was rumored that the love story of the artists was nothing more than a publicity stunt (too many candid photos for very restrained Brit), but the actor denied this. In any case, the affair broke up after only a few months. So, with the amount of female attention, Tom has no problems, but there are problems with free time. Here's what the actor says about his relationship with the fairer sex: "The problem is, I'm a terrible perfectionist. No girl can handle it. I can't help comparing all my loved ones to my mother — and it's always not in their favor, as you know. However, I am single for a completely different reason — I simply do not have time for a family and do not have the strength to take on this responsibility. In addition, loneliness is the most reliable road to success, so I live on my own, without regard to romantic relationships." "It would be wrong to say that I am not married for this reason - I’m not married because I simply do not have time for a family. And this is a big responsibility. I devote my rare leisure time to my family, and even they sometimes have very few hours that I can dedicate. And what can we say about the spouse!» Isn't a Hollywood beauty afraid of being alone for the rest of his life after devoting himself to his work? We don’t think so. The actor is sure that the closest circle of people are his relatives and friends, so they will never let him feel lonely and will always support him and create a sense of reliability. And as for colleagues, women and friends - there is no happiness in these.
Do you think you know everything about Tom Hiddleston now? No, you don’t. We have prepared some more interesting facts. Tom's favorite movie is "Heat" with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. His favorite books are - "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy and "Any human heart" by William Boyd. His favorite superhero is Superman. Tom is good at parodying famous actors. For example, Al Pacino, Robert Deniro or Owen Willson Hiddleston is a polyglot. He speaks French and Spanish quite well, and has studied Greek and Latin. When Tom goes to a new country, he always learns at least a few foreign phrases. The actor can play the piano and guitar. As a child, he also learned to play the trumpet.