Everlasting Charm of Hiddleston (Loki)
Tom Hiddleston and the everlasting charm of Loki
It is British actor Tom Hiddleston's birthday today. Tom is popular for bringing Marvel character Loki to life on the big screen. Here's why Tom as Loki is one of the best things that has happened to fans.
Loki, the sometimes evil, several times manipulating, and
all-the-time charming character from the Marvel comics got his
live-action version in Thor (2011). Loki has been portrayed by British
actor Tom Hiddleston on the big screen since then, and the Golden
Globe-winner and Emmy-nominated actor has played the part of the Norse
deity with as much wit he could muster.
In real life, Tom comes across as someone who is well-read,
soft-spoken and funny. But Loki required him to be loud, all over the
place, and still be suave as hell. And the actor ticked all those boxes
with what looked like considerable ease. A mark of a good actor, that.
In an interview a while ago about Loki, the actor had said that he
still cannot completely understand what it is that the mischevious God
wants.
“I’ve spent six or seven years of my life trying to get to the bottom
of what exactly it is that he wants. When he seems to get close to what
he wants–power, acceptance, belonging–he changes direction. I think
that is the thing that keeps him interesting in a way. He’s cunning and
transformative and changeable and will do everything he can to survive.
He’s the trickster. He’s the God of mischief,” Tom had said.
One of the things that is exciting about Loki is that he is very
human in his behaviour. He necessarily doesn’t think like a ‘God’. And
that makes him quite complicated, of course, an actor worth his salt
would jump at the opportunity of playing someone like Loki. But Tom
didn’t, he wanted to play Thor, as the actor had revealed in an episode
of The Graham Norton Show. So it is a bit of a surprise that he has come
to develop such a strong bond with the Marvel character.
“When I put on the costume, the make-up, and wig for the first time
for this film and looked in the mirror, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, there
he is.’ It was like seeing an old friend. It was good to see him, in a
way. I feel like I know him,” ScreenRant had quoted the actor as saying
during his Thor Ragnarok interview.
Tom is a thorough student, and his dedication shows when you read
reports about him basing Loki on cinema’s three legends–Peter O’Toole
(of Lawrence of Arabia), Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood. Loki is mad
as a hat, intense (when he needs to be), and just a bag full of
dynamism. So, it is not incredibly surprising that Tom’s inspiration for
the character were the aforementioned greats.
Tom is silent, funny, engaging, detestable, and almost impossible to
ignore as Loki. His face shines when he’s up to ‘something’, just like
the character we envision in our heads. Tom has played the field
fearlessly as Loki, despite sharing the screen space with actors like
Samuel L Jackson and Mark Ruffalo. In fact, for moviegoers, Tom has made
Loki as popular as Thor, a feat in itself.
The actor especially holds a special place in fans’ (and by fans, I
mean myself) hearts for one incident alone. Remember when he dressed up
as Loki for 2013’s Comic-Con and rocked Hall H like nobody’s business? I
do, in detail. The lights went out, the room became enveloped in
darkness, audience froze. And a voice boomed, “Humanity, look how far
you’ve fallen. Lining up in the sweltering heat for hours, huddling
together in the dark like beasts!”
The crowd chanted “Loki, Loki” like they were under a spell. I felt
like I was watching The Undertaker make his grand entrance. It was
dramatic. It was glorious. The appearance also proved how attached and
in-sync Tom had become in a couple of years with Loki. Gone was the
sweet and shy guy, and there he was in his outlandish costume, working
the room like he really was as powerful as the character he played on
screen. At the risk of sounding like a fangirl, I have to say, It was
something.
The actor later revealed in an interview with MTV that the idea of
coming as Loki to comic con came from Marvel Studios’ head, Kevin Feige.
“I was a bit blown away by it. But I was onboard from the get-go,” he
explained. “It was just a question of fine-tuning it. It was really fun
working with him on the details of what it should be. I really wanted
to kind of not break character, and keep the integrity of the character,
so it didn’t seem like I was setting myself up too much”, the actor had
said of the experience.
To not break character while being physically present in a real-world
setting is tough. Even theatre artists have the little luxury of a tiny
set in an auditorium. But Tom put up quite an act as the Norse lord in
Hall H.
There are reports doing the rounds that the actor might bid farewell
to the beloved Marvel character, but as of yet, nothing has been
confirmed. But it is safe to assume that any other actor who decides to
take up the role in future would have a fairly difficult time filling
Tom’s big shoes.
Via: www.indianexpress.com
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