Total Film interview with Tom

“Tom Hiddleston was the winner of the Hottest Actor accolade in this year’s Total Film Hotlist Awards (as voted for by you), so naturally we grabbed him for a chat when we handed over his award.

A modest winner, his passion and commitment to the work was plain to see, as was his deep fondness for Loki.

You can watch Hiddleston’s acceptance video above, and read our full interview with him below to find out what he thought about his win, what he’s up to next, and what we can expect from Loki in Thor 2.

Congratulations on your award – what would you like to say to those who voted for you?

“I am absolutely astonished. To any and everyone who voted for me: Thank You. To be nominated in such exalted company was honour high enough, but this really is the icing on the cake.

“I am so proud to have all your extraordinary support – it means the world. Actors can’t call themselves actors without an audience to watch them, and the idea that you’re all out there and believing in the work that I do is a source of enormous pride. You’re the best.”

Readers also voted for best scene where Hulk gives Loki a trouncing. Why do you think Loki made such an impression on fans?

“I don’t know. 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.”

What’s the best thing about being Loki?

“The best thing about being Loki is that 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.”

What do you hope for him in Thor 2 and The Avengers 2? What can fans expect?

“I don’t want to give too much away. But I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. 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.”

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