Tom Hiddleston returns as Loki today with the UK release of Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World [read our ★★★★ review here], and speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Hiddleston has discussed his cinematic influences for the fan-favourite bad guy, as well as the appeal of the character for himself as both an actor and movie fan.
“I’m standing on the shoulder of giants,” said Hiddleston with regards to Loki’s place in the pantheon of movie villainy. “I’m standing on the shoulders of the villains I loved as a child and take my hat off to… Jack Nicholson as The Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman, and I bow even lower for Alan Rickman in Die Hard and James Mason in North by Northwest. I mean, Alan Rickman, particularly in that film, was having such a good time and was so likable. I guess it’s in my make up as a fan, as someone who loved movies as a child. I loved villains who enjoyed themselves.”
“Thor has always been the God of Thunder and Loki has been the God of Mischief,” he continues. “I remember I looked up mischief in the dictionary and the first entry is ‘an inclination to playfulness, a desire to tease.’ And then actually further down the line, like entry No. 5 is ‘destruction and damage.’ So you have this one word mischief which encompasses all these things and that’s the role I’m playing. It’s my job to turn up on set and have a great time and I hope that’s something that’s appealing: you know, Loki’s having a good time and so am I.”
Thor: The Dark World opened in the UK today and hits North America on November 8th, with Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) directing a cast that also includes Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), Rene Russo (Frigga), Stellan Skarsgård (Erik Selvig), Idris Elba (Heimdall), Ray Stevenson, (Volstagg), Zachary Levi (Fandral), Kat Dennings (Darcy Lewis), Jaimie Alexander (Lady Sif), Tadanobu Asano (Hogun), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Algrim the Strong / Kurse), and Christopher Eccleston (Malekith the Accursed).
Originally published October 30, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
