Tom Hiddleston made an appearance at Comic-Con. Sort of. He wasn’t actually, physically in San Diego (OR WAS HE? No, he wasn’t). But Tommy did crop up in some “special” footage from Guillermo del Toro’s first look at Crimson Peak at Comic Con. Del Toro promised that he would bring Hiddles and the rest of the cast to Comic-Con next year, because Crimson Peak is still 18 months away from a release date. Del Toro also had nice things to say about the cast of CP, including this about Lord Dragonfly: “I must tell you girls, Tom Hiddleston is the nicest f–king guy on earth. It used to be in the past that you were either nice, or you were good-looking and an a–hole. Now that barrier is ruined.” So, there you have it.
But still, you want more evidence that Tommy is the adorable, kissable, puppy-like, swan-sonneting dork-lord of your dreams? Well, then I have got something for you. According to a new biography of Joss Whedon, when Whedon stepped in to do a decent draft of The Avengers, Tommy wrote him a lovely email/letter telling Joss how brilliant and fantastic he is. Here is the letter:
Joss,
I am so excited I can hardly speak.
The first time I read it I grabbed at it like Charlie Bucket snatching for a golden ticket somewhere behind the chocolate in the wrapper of a Wonka Bar. I didn’t know where to start. Like a classic actor I jumped in looking for LOKI on every page, jumping back and forth, reading words in no particular order, utterances imprinting themselves like flash-cuts of newspaper headlines in my mind: “real menace”; “field of obeisance”; “discontented, nothing is enough”; “his smile is nothing but a glimpse of his skull”; “Puny god” …
… Thank you for writing me my Hans Gruber. But a Hans Gruber with super-magic powers. As played by James Mason … It’s high operatic villainy alongside detached throwaway tongue-in-cheek; plus the “real menace” and his closely guarded suitcase of pain. It’s grand and epic and majestic and poetic and lyrical and wicked and rich and badass and might possibly be the most gloriously fun part I’ve ever stared down the barrel of playing. It is just so juicy.
I love how throughout you continue to put Loki on some kind of pedestal of regal magnificence and then consistently tear him down. He gets battered, punched, blasted, side-swiped, roared at, sent tumbling on his back, and every time he gets back up smiling, wickedly, never for a second losing his eloquence, style, wit, self-aggrandisement or grandeur, and you never send him up or deny him his real intelligence…. That he loves to make an entrance; that he has a taste for the grand gesture, the big speech, the spectacle. I might be biased, but I do feel as though you have written me the coolest part.
… But really I’m just sending you a transatlantic shout-out and first-bump, things that traditionally British actors probably don’t do. It’s epic.
Joss wrote him back, of course, and you can see Joss’s kind respond here. I’m debating with myself whether I think Hiddles is a giant dork for this. When I first read the letter a few days ago, my immediate reaction was CRINGE. It’s just so ass-kissy and overly obsequious. I waited a while and re-read it. And my reaction was different the second time around. I think it’s mostly a nice letter, gushing and complimentary and it’s just the kind of letter one fan-boy would send another fan-boy. So, fair enough. Hiddles is just so EXTRA though. Sigh…
Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, Getty, WENN.
He is a giant dork. That is a big part of his appeal.
oh yes *sigh*
He truly is the Lord of the Dorks and an epic fanboy as well. What’s not to love?
Gushing fanboy? Kind of. But also insightful, intelligent, and respectful. He is someone I’d love to have a conversation with, and also gaze at. Yep, Hiddles fan here!
I read it as someone who is just that genuine and enthusiastic, not afraid to show his real self. That is rare and it sometimes makes people uncomfortable because they don’t see it often enough. It was an exceedingly kind letter that was also quite articulate. A bit over the top to be sure, but I think he was just that excited. Kind of like a kid. I’ve never been a huge Hiddleston fan but this might turn me.
I totally agree.
I agree. I like his use of language. It is not predictable or cliché and his inner child come shining through. This is a man who could be fun to live with ,a little exhausting perhaps but never dull or stodgy.
I loved the honesty in admitting to checking out how much Loki there was and how much fun he was going to have playing with the character. It was only his second blockbuster and you can just tell how excited he was. Tom has always said he is not someone who plays it cool and his up front enthusiasm is refreshing.
I think folks who feel embarassed about something harmless like this can do with a bit of loosening restraint =p
I agree, jammypants. It’s harmless and cute. And I think Tommy truly is a really nice guy. I know there are plenty of naysayers out there who think it’s all just a front or some PR thing. And if they want to think that, fine. But I think he’s just a genuinely nice person. And that’s a big part of his appeal for me.
@jammypants
I agree.
We do live in a rather naysaying world and to be reminded that it’s ok to care deeply about something, nevermind one’s own pride or self restraint, is truly refreshing! Tom does not seem embarrassed by his words or actions. It’s a difference when someone is embarrassed by what they do or say versus when one isn’t while others around them are.
He is just so thrilled and I love that he isn’t holding back any of his excitement. “Too cool for school” people drive me nuts. If you love something so much that it drives you to write such an e-mail; then it’s real emotion and I LOVE when people share that part of themselves.
And Hiddleston was right too. That part was killer in the right hands and he knew it. And ran with it! Much to our enjoyment as an audience.
If Whedon’s work, in this case Loki, was horrible the letter would be ass-kissy, but in this case, I think Hiddles is just sincere in a dorky and a bit embarassing way.
I facepalmed more than once 😀 Gushing Hiddles is SO gushing – but SO well-worded and vividly thinking lol. I’m torn between “Awww, never change, Tommy!” and “This was back in 2011/12 so surely he *did* change!?”
@Innie Outie His enthusiasm is still there and his potential for being a complete dork but he switches it on and off dependent on the event. I think he is also more adept at knowing when to flick the switch but he is always going to be someone who vocalises the best and leap frogs over the worst. He is a perennial optimist.
Well-said, @icerose! It’s as if you’re writing about me lol. If my negative opinion is not strictly needed – I usually choose to keep it to myself. I’d much rather express a positive view than a negative one. Some people, unfortunately, interpret it as having no opinion in some cases – which is very far from reality.
I think he is genuinely nice, but there is a big streak of cringe-worthy ass-kissing in all of this. Boy wants to succeed. Boy gushes all the time about whomever he is working with. But seriously, if that is the worst thing you can say about him, it is all pretty tame.
I agree with all this.
I think it’s 100% ass-kissing cringe and it makes me think of the Tomster as the embarrassing person I’d go WAY out of my way to avoid at a party. And I kinda don’t trust ass-kissers cos their opinions aren’t opinions; they’re just ass-kissin’ so best ignored.
Having said that, I do agree that’s really the worst thing anyone could say about ol’ Puddletom: he’s gushy, superficial, critical-faculties-free. And when you compare that to the horridness exhibited by gazillions of celebs, he’s really doing quite well. I suppose that’s the ultimate in damning with faint praise. Oh well! Sorry, Tom. You *have* got exceptionally nice legs!
Their opinions aren’ t real opinions indeed!
I like Hiddleston, I do prefer him over the thousands of celebrities who are absolute jerks and act like they’ re the best thing that ever happened to us peasants, but I don’ t think I have ever heard him saying anything that I considered a real opinion… over anything! I don’ t think his opinion is more important than the one of the girl who sells milk in front of my home, but I can ask her this stuff personally! I can’ t ask him, and I am genuinely curious! He is rarely asked about something “important” (social, politics, religion), and when he does he is always neutral. And when he is asked about superficial things (like if he liked X movie, if he likes X actor, or anything like that) he is always “It’ s the best thing ever, I love it!”.
If he is faking, it’ s ass-kissing, hypocrite and generally bad, if he is genuinely like that, it’ s even worse! People who like everything or do not have the spine to say out loud whenever they do not like something… I could be wrong, but in my experience people like this have no character whatsoever!
Exactly, Sixer, and it is kind of funny to consider, because in an industry that is littered with the likes of Kim Kardashian, good old fashioned sycophantic ass-kissing complete with well-worn knee pads is kind of refreshing. But it still is what it is. Love me my Hiddles, wish he would bring back the golden curls, but he is an expert at talking a lot while saying absolutely nothing.
What I really crave are artists who have and will share a real point of view. That is where things get interesting. Everything else is just career building.
IMO, he could just think that (1) he probably shouldn’t be giving his opinion on “important” issues because celebrities often get bashed for stating their opinions on major issues (“why should we care what an actor/ athlete/ singer/ etc. thinks about it”) and (2) probably gushes about other actors/movies because Hollywood types can be particularly hypersensitive and he doesn’t want to burn any bridges.
I do think it’s sad, though, that people are so excited that he seems like a nice guy and isn’t terrible like a lot of other celebrities. When did our standards get so low that professionalism and basic decency are seen as exceptional?
I think that’s a bit unfair; all we know about him is a public persona. He seems to be genuinely intelligent, and opinions tend to come with that. He also seems genuinely open minded. Not stating his opinions on much of anything and just being the happy-go- lucky gush puddle does two things; makes the swarm of dragonflies happy, and keeps things more private for him. I find it hard to believe he and BC (yes sorry for bringing him in the thread but it’s for a good reason) could be friends if TH was as shallow as he presents. Tilda S. also had some nice things to say about how good a conversationalist he is. I’m not saying he’s not doing some good ol’ fashioned arse kissing, but I really doubt we’re getting the whole picture.
@InvaderTak, I’ m sorry, but are you basing your opinion on Hiddleston over the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch (BC is him, right?) seems to be his friend, and Tilda Swinton said good things about his way of talking? If such amazing people like them like him, then he cannot be an idiot or a terrible person?
Unless you know them on a personal level and trust their opinions because they proved themselves before your own very eyes, I don’ t think taking from granted whatever they say is a great thing to do!
For what we know they say good things about him because of pr reasons and actually think he is a subhuman awful idiot. For what we know, Cumberbatch has a fake persona he plays when in public and says only what people want him to say. I’ m not saying it’ s true, but it COULD be! He could be a shallow dumbass himself and he could like hanging out with similar people! Or simply lying when he says they’ re friends! Same goes for Joss Whedon! Also, Tilda Swinton thinks that a child rapist shouldn’ t be bullied and take his responsibilities over what he’ s done because he’ s a great director, which doesn’ t make me think we are in the same galaxy when it comes to analising people (and thank God for that)!
I don’t get how being “genuine” equates to being “superficial”. It’s really quite amusing how different all of our perceptions are!
@JWQ:
I was just trying to present some evidence to defend my opinion that I don’t think TH is quite as shallow, superficial or lacking in character as some up thread think. My basic opinion is that we are not getting the whole picture of his personality. BC, TS and Joss are genrally regarded as people of character and some depth so what they say has some value i think. It’s all just gossip anyway. I’m bored, and maybe fangirling. Doesn’t really matter anyway, to each their own!
@jammypants: so true! lol ah gossip. Just as much projection and opinion as fact. It is fun this Sunday afternoon though.
I personally don’t need to know celebrities’ opinions on “important” issues: just because they are famous, it does not make them experts in every field. The things he gets asked about (films, actors, characters) aren’t “superficial”, they are his job! And from the way he answers those questions you can tell that, besides being intelligent and well-read, he also does very deep research when preparing to the role. It’s understandable that he gushes about the character he is going to play – I think it was Stanislavsky who said that if your character is on trial, you cannot act as a prosecutor, only as a defense lawyer, so it comes with the territory.
@JWQ-that is one thing I have noticed about him in interviews (mostly print) is that he lacks opinions or least doesn’t voice them as often as others. I don’t know if it is because he doesn’t want to step on peoples toes (step on their toes Tom) or he just doesn’t have one but I have noticed it. He talks around those certain types of questions & doesn’t really give an answer. And he is one of those who I wouldn’t mind knowing what he thinks considering his education background. But for all we know, he does talk about issues w/a core group of friends/family (I only talk politics w/a certain group of friends & not others for example) but just feels no need to voice them to the public. But I wouldn’t say he is superficial.
@MAF, I have the same sentiments.
I have to say I’m rather with MaddieH on this. I’m a bit tired of celebrities voicing their opinions on practically everything and every time – on politics, on social issues, etc. and everyone is very PC and I’m wondering if it’s their REAL opinion or just something they say for good press and a pat on the head. Because honestly, if someone like Mel Gibson voices his opinion it’s not like we applaud him.
Actors are actors and I like them for their work. It helps if someone seems like a rather pleasant human being, with a refreshing wit and sharp intelligence. But I honestly don’t need actors to talk about all the important issues in this world (and use it as PR). There are politicians, philosophers, writers, journalists, a whole lot of people who know their stuff and voice their opinions. That’s great and I read about it, if I want to. However every (insignificant) Hollywood celebrity pressing their opinions in my face… nah… give me a bit of a break.
Did we really need to hear Gary Oldman’s opinions recently? Or Shalene Woodley’s? I didn’t. I suspect Tom probably does have strong opinions on a great number of things but when somebody sticks a microphone in his face, it is usually in conjunction with a work-project, in which case, he should keep his opinions to himself. Legendary and Marvel don’t need him voicing his views on Gaza, Scottish Independence or whether the woman should do his laundry while he watches rugby when he is supposed to be promoting a film.
this is a guy who is simply enjoying his success and can’t believe his luck. Such a nice change from other celebs where they act so full of ennui at the very mention of their own celebrity. Hiddleston just kind of looks it square in the eye and is all “I KNOW, RIGHT!?”…or whatever the British equivalent of that is. Living over here in the UK for as long as I have has clearly not taught me enough to lose my Yankee utterances.
So true. Considering all the gifts Hiddleston has received in this life: birth into a posh family with resources; substantial education; intelligence; charm; looks; talent; success; it would be infuriating if he wasn’t happy and appreciative. It takes very little to be thankful and kind to others or to be grateful for what one has, and he seems to realize how lucky he is. Joss Whedon has a strong BS meter and he doesn’t suffer fools. If he had a problem with this, he wouldn’t have responded in the way he did and if he had a problem with Tom, he wouldn’t have been as complimentary as he was throughout the director’s commentary on the Avengers DVD.
He is just so damn happy to be there and it shows.
Agree. If being a suck up is the worst thing you can say about someone, than that’s not really a bad thing. And Joss likes to work with the same actors over and over again, so I can see why Tom wrote this letter-not only to be nice but to work with Whedon again in the future.
Yeah, perceptions and opinions are all over the place about this facet of Tommy. I think it’s kind of damned-if-you-do or damned-if-you-don’t thing. If you’re a celeb and you do voice your opinions or take a stand on anything political/religious/topical/newsworthy, there are those who will say that a celeb’s point of view makes no damn difference, as OhDear says above. And on the other hand, you have people who think that if a celeb doesn’t voice an opinion, he or she is just an ass kisser with no opinions.
I think there’s a middle ground though, where people like Tommy do have opinions and perspectives that they just choose not to share as a part of their public persona. Maybe he’s just not comfortable wading into the thick of some hot-button issue and I can’t fault him for that. We’re all told to avoid potential landmine topics like politics and religion especially with people we don’t know. I really can’t fault Hiddleston for staying away from those issues if that’s what he chooses to do.
This might sound weird, but I think it takes spine to do the actual opposite of what is expected by refraining from giving one’s own opinion. He has opinions for sure, mind, very positive or enthusiastic ones. The negative ones, he keeps to himself, quite obviously. It’s just who he is. He’s said it before. To hate just wastes too much energy. If he doesn’t fill one’s cup of tea, one simply has to wade to the pool of celebs next door with all the opinion of the world to give and take one’s pick =p
@Janeite The world is full of people who jump to conclusions and voice their views with out having thought things through. Some folks refuse to accept any body’s point of view but their own On the other hand some people see multiple sides to an issue and tend towards discussion as opposed to voicing opinions which can also make them more reticent about speaking out,
One of the best things I learnt in my working life was when to hold back even if I was sure I was right because it is not always what you say it is when you say it, That what being nice to me is all about -its being able to voice negativities issues in a non confrontational manner that disarms people. And I suspect that is how Tom works most of the time.
@icerose, and yes, “works” is the operative word here. We see him and hear him when he is working. Personal opinions about other topics should be kept at a minimum. If he does a film about the conflict over the Western Sahara, then sure, his views on that and why he chose to be in a film about it would make sense but otherwise, an interview about Joanna Hogg’s or Jim Jarmusch’s methods shouldn’t extend beyond that topic. He has friends and family to share his opinions with.
I think cringe worthy is in the eye of the beholder, The letter to me is not ass licking just genuine enthusiasm. Cringe worthy to me is photo bombing , running into the audience to hug someone when it just looks out of character and making jokes about method acting involving other actors which our really not that funny. It usually involves trying to be something that does not come naturally to you because that it was people seem to want.
Some people like Tom have a natural warmth and charm which often comes from seeing the best in people. Does not mean he does not see the faults. He just does not feel the need to criticise unless there is a specific reason /motivation for doing so. He may also be wise enough to know that when we criticise and pontificate we do it from our own perspective. The best people in the world to me are those who are open minded enough to accept people and situations without apportioning blame or negative labels. They are often the people who move mountains when it comes to changing things they are unhappy about.
Frankly, as someone who occasionally hires people, both as interns and professionals, I would be greatly appreciative and thrilled if a candidate wrote me a thank you note even half as enthusiastic, thorough, and well-written. It would go a long way in my consideration on recommending or hiring that person. Now, I’m usually just thrilled to get a boilerplate letter acknowledging the interview occurred that doesn’t spell my name incorrectly or begin with “Mr.”
Dear Mr Lilactulip,
Thank you for the great interview yesterday. I enjoyed chatting about Tom Hiddleston, and his charming effects on professional and intelligent women, like us.
Please gissa a job?
Yours faithfully [deliberate mistake]
Ms ‘P’enny Hiddles-Salmonconda lover
@Lilacflowers I was just pleased when someone showed a knowledgeable , lengthy enthusiasm about the area of work they were applying for as opposed to receiving a generic job application which could have suited any old job. When faced with 50 applicants it was one of the areas that earned extra points.
We had to provide feedback to people who were interviewed and did not get offered the post if they asked for it. It was an exercise in framing the negative with a positive spin.
The other fun area is appraisals and supervision and the role perception and verbal clarity plays in that process.
@P’enny -nice one
Now write one thanking me for interviewing you for the job Tom’s minder
@Icerose–I SOOO see what you did there (your upper comment.) And agree.
In addition, when he *does* give an opinion people jump all over it…”he’s not qualified to talk about that”, for example.
Dear Dr. ‘p’ennyloafers, your highered.
@icerose, and then there are those who don’t send a thank-you at all, but call daily to know when they can start.
@icerose,
Who are you referring to? “Cringe worthy to me is photo bombing , running into the audience to hug someone when it just looks out of character and making jokes about method acting involving other actors which our really not that funny. ” Just curious, because it seems shit-stirery to bring up another actor to compare, contrast and bash just to pump up Tom. IMO, saying that you didn’t think Tom was kissing ass should have been enough.
It’s quite refreshing to see that you still can’t praise Hiddleston without being snarky with Cumberbatch.
It’s ok, we got it. Hiddleston is an actual God and Cumberbatch an idiot who can’t chose a movie and is a total hypocrite.
That said the Hiddlestonners need to go a bit outside cause their acting Prince isn’t so exceptionnal.
Many actors are as talented, if not more, and as enthousiastic as he is, but they wouldn’t know cause they’re blind to anything who isn’t Hiddleston.
@Freebunny, unfortunately the attitude you’re describing is just as characteristic for Ben’s fandom =/ It’s enough to open his IMDb forums to see it.
Also, I think icerose was not talking about talent or career choices in this particular case, only about certain patterns of behaviour, so why even bring this “Who’s a better actor – Cumberbatch or Hiddleston” issue up?
@Freebunny, I’m sure your Benny will be most grateful for your defense of him and your attack on his friend but nobody criticized your Benny’s skills here and the behavior you decry is far more typical of Benny’s fans.
@Lilac LOL, spare me the lecture. You know perfectly well that this attitude is shared by Hiddlestonners and Cumberbitches, no matter the number.
I didn’t attack Tom. Saying that other people are more talented than him isn’t an attack and I could say the same about Benedict.
Just take Serkis, he could give lessons to both of them. It’s not a problem, some actors are more talented than them cause they can also direct, write, compose music, create sets etc… It’s not insulting, just facts here.
I think the same for both of them. They’re both talented nice men, but the crazy adoration we can witness here is a bit too much.
@Innie,
So because it happens on IMDB, a place where filmophiles and fans alike get together to discuss movies, actors, THEIR CAREERS, CAREER CHOICES and TV does not make it okay to bash another actor who has NOTHING to do with this subject. Yes, this is a gossip site with a lot of delicious snark, but that kind of snark is out of place, IMO and only serves to start a war between fans.
If you’re a fan of both, it’s a blessing and a curse, I tell you. I’m sad to see the sides pitted against each other. If you turn off all the noise surrounding the two (the biggest being the fandoms and the next being the media), you’re left with two very nice gentlemen who can hold their own on the big or small screen. Charming, sweet, talented, intelligent.
@delorb: did I say it makes it ok? And let me ask again – what have career choices and talents got to do with somebody saying that they do not like certain patterns of behaviour in the actor in question?
I agree with you about unnecessary pitching of one actor against the other though. However, personally I’d also like to reserve the right to criticise Ben for things I do not like (certain CAREER CHOICES and acting styles included, where appropriate lol). I think that, in addition to both fandoms being guilty of some OTT worshipping, there’s another tendency when, if a Hiddleston fan criticises Cumberbatch for something, this is immediately perceived as a deliberate attempt to build Tom up at Ben’s expense – and vice versa. This isn’t healthy either, imo.
@jammy, I know. Gotta start doing that, too! 😀
Ahem, at the Oscars this year. Jared Leto photobombs Anne Hathaway, who photobombed Jessica Biel. It is not always about BC and people need to stop jumping to conclusions and rushing to his defense. http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/03/03/jared-leto-photobombs-anne-hathaway-at-vanity-fair-party/5971243/
@delorb The behaviour I described can be attributed to many actors and did not name and shame any specific actor. They were examples of behaviour ( not actors) that could be considered cringe worthy in my eyes as well as examples of how perception is in the eye of the beholder. I f you watch enough cons or show biz events you see the same behaviour/humour coming via different personalities. It also does not mean that at other times I can still appreciate a good interview or bit of with by the same actors.
The point was that one person’s cringe worthy is another’s persons enjoyment and vice versa.
@Freebunny I have lots of actors that I support and admire apart from Tom.Sadly they get very little focus on this site because they are not considered A listers and nor do they appear in block buster films.
Cringe worthy is an expression used frequently on this site and quite often in reference to Tom.I was just making the point that cringe worthy is just a negative label that people apply to behaviour that others find acceptable and that it works in reverse. Sometimes I see behaviour in an actor that make me think poser or trying to hard to be cool etc but I recognise that someone else will say wow that was so funny etc
You may not like a specific piece of behaviour etc but it does not mean you dislike the person /actor or his performances but I do feel that sometimes people forget that which is why I did not attribute the actions to an specific actor. Cringe worthy is not normally a word I use to describe people. I tend to look at behaviour in more specific term
and for the record I do not believe in Gods. Tom is out their grafting like the rest of us but he also has a reputation for being very kind,open and considerate along side it and I admire people who can pull that off be they teachers, nurses ,bankers or accountants or shop workers.
Nicely stated, icerose, although your original statement was nicely stated too. You have more patience than I do.
I get a bit tired of CB posters on BOTH the threads for Cumberbatch and Hiddleston being accused of “crazy adoration” as Freebunny called it. Yeah, most of us like the guys (or one or the other) and most people don’t tend to spend a lot of time online posting about things or people they DON’T like. Those who do should probably get a more rewarding hobby.
Same, Janeite. Both fan groups are guilty of knocking down the other to prop up their fav. I see it here ALL the time on their posts–obvious posting patterns are obvious–and in other places. I’m a to each their sort 😀
There’s nothing wrong with this letter, imo, but did he give permission for it to be published, I hope? Sorry if it’s been answered, I think I’m not seeing all the comments.
It gets really annoying fast because it boils to ‘my opinion is better than yours’ no matter how your slice it, especially when we’ve got BC fans entering TH’s threads to knock TH and TH fans doing the exact same thing in BC’s threads.
Why else go into a post about someone you clearly dislike other than rile up the fans you know are going to be there and make sure everyone knows how you right you think you are? It’s so ridiculous.
No one knows either of them personally to start positioning personal perceptions as fact. They’re both talented actors who can stand in their own right and exist at the same time without destroying the global balance.
Longtime lurker out 😉
@Icerose It’s something that I like and admire about you, that you love less known actors and really know your stuff about movies.
All I say is that you don’t need to put down Benedict to praise Tom. Because what I’ve read is: “Tom isn’t cringe worthy just enthusiastic but you know who is really cringe worthy : Benny”. Cause, we’re not totally idiot, we know who you were speaking about even if Lilac tried to prove the contrary.
As for the crazy adoration, it’s everywhere. IMdB, Celebitchy, ONTD, Tumblr and it’s OTT everywhere. And I really don’t think these guys need this level of adoration, quite the contrary.
All the “everything he does is so perfect and everyone is so in love with him and he just can’t do anything wrong” is just weird.
I think at this point it’s not even about the two actors. It’s like some weird war ground of ruffled feathers between the fans. Like I said, if you remove the media and fandoms, you have two very nice gentlemen with talent, charm, and wit. No matter how we all spin it, we DO project a bit of ourselves into them. So if one man gets put down, it stings. If one man gets praised, it feels good. I don’t even think it’s really about the actors anymore. I also don’t think users necessarily hate or dislike each other. These two men are more like avatars for us to place our emotions into and channel some sort of decent discussion with others of like (or completely different) minds.
This wasn’t even about “two actors.” It was about one actor’s behavior and how it ranked as cringe-worthy in comparison to general behavior, which in the discussion reached to job applicants of all sorts. For who knows what reason, some decided to see it as directed negatively at another specific actor, which it was not.
Lilacflowers, I realize you dislike BC so you may not be aware, but icerose’s examples were all BC. You can explain away the first two, Oscars &Graham Norton I think, but then the third is super specific to BC’s reddit comment. TotallyBiased doesn’t like him either and she clearly caught on, so it’s not just BC fans being overly defensive.
I think icerose’s points were interesting but it wasn’t necessary to single out BC as cringeworthy when there’s so much worse out there.
That being said, it’s all opinion. Someone else can easily argue TH is cringeworthy, although I wouldn’t advise doing so here going by the comments LOL
My two cents’ is that TH has always been like this and some aspects got amplified by the media out of his control so he’s genuine. Having noticed BC before Sherlock, I can say he’s always been kinda goofy, made bad jokes and was hugging fans back before more people knew who he was, so also genuine.
If anything, both actors are trying to establish some sort of line that allows them to interact with their fanbases w/out being trampled on, and that always breeds some anger among fans who don’t understand
Anne12, first of all – welcome and glad you delurked!
Secondly – I agree with your points. I also think icerose – who I like and whose comments I always enjoy reading – did what she did consciously 😉 And if a Cumby fan responded to her saying that Tommy’s OTT enthusiasm and deranged bunny smile and inability to shut up are cringe-worthy, I’d snort and walk by lol. I myself find Hiddleston’s behaviour during that MTV Awards ceremony, for example, very cringe-worthy. I’ve said it several times. And I’m a huge Tommy fan. But then, I also thought that what Ben said to one of the fangirls during a SDCC Q&A – about asking him his shoe size – was very cringe-worthy. Does that make me a Benny hater? I hope not lol, because I am a big fan of his work, too – I just honestly consider Hiddleston a more interesting and unpredictable actor (and I consider Fassbender more capable of disappearing into his chars than either Hiddles or Cumby, and I can continue the comparisons!)
Freebunny, however, took the rhetoric to the next level and made the usual generalised Cumberbatch vs. Hiddleston statement – and this is something I object to. As I said above, I think it’s important that, while trying to abstain from unnecessary pitching of one actor against the other, we should avoid policing opinions to the point where ANYTHING critical said by somebody “from the other camp” *rolls eyes at herself* is perceived as a conscious attempt at tearing down Tom in order to build up Ben and vice versa. It’s a psychological trap imo. I perceived Freebunny’s initial reaction as a step in this direction.
And thirdly – as far as I understand, some posters here have a longish history, there obviously are some perceptions that have been formed some time ago and people interact/make judgements based on them. Hence some reactions which might seem OTT to those of us who are “newer” users – myself included.
P.S. Oops, sorry for the TL;DR!
@Annie12–I do take issue with your statement that I don’t like BC.He’s wildly talented and has the occasional dead sexy moment as Sherlock, I simply don’t find my panties falling off when I see his pic or hear his voice. I did agree that his hat selection made his head look more like a thumb, but I’ve never been derogatory in the alien lizard sense about his appearance 🙂
That said, the larger issue I have (and noted) is not a specific BC vs TH deal; it is that for the last two years behavior and statements that are laughed off when coming from any other actor are considered evidence of cringe worthiness when applied to Mr. H.
For example, attending the “opening of an envelope”: oh, well, the actor in question isn’t busy…and one must network. But if it’s TH, he is “desperate and sad.” No matter if the event is press night of a good friend’s show.
Even in this thread, Joss Whedon’s equally effusive reply (how many times does he say ‘pleased’ and ‘thank you’ in one paragraph) to TH’s email is considered politely kind.
My point here is that since 2012 Mr.H seems held to a tougher standard–maybe because his energy and enthusiasm just seemed too unlikely to be real for a lot of people. Icerose’s comment gave me a giggle because, yes, BC (in this particular case) has done some things that would have TH raked over CB’s most eloquent
coals, but seems to get a pass–AS DO MOST OTHER CB FAVES.
I do agree very much with your opinion regarding how both actors are trying to find a workable path…and I wish them both luck with that, as they will need it.
(Oh, a PS…..I didn’t actually think of reddit regarding the joke–I personally laughed my head off at that one. No, I was thinking of his rehearsed jest re two other actors whom I don’t believe he is acquainted with…)
Sorry, Anne12, but, no, I do not “dislike” BC. He simply does nothing for me and I do not find him attractive. I do think he has talent, however, I thought he was miscast in two of the last three films I saw him in and horrible in the third – but every actor, at some point, puts out some subpar work, so I’m willing to wait and see. That is a far step from “dislike.” I dislike Leonardo DiCaprio, but I think he has talent too and I’ll see most of his movies. I realize and accept that everyone is not going to like the same things I like but I won’t jump to assumptions about what others do or don’t like . Icerose’s comment was generalized and some decided to jump all over it and see things that weren’t there.
@Anne12 I agree about one opinion not being better than another but sometimes people write it in a manner which implies it is. And as I have said many times -I may criticise aspects of Benny’s behaviour or a performance but I do not dislike him. I do not find him particularly attractive but I was following his career and admired some of his work long before Sherlock and his current popularity.
@Free bunny The behaviour I described cab be attributed to other actors as well. John Barrowman for instance once told what he thought was an amusing tale about John de Lancie wanting to rehearse on Torchwood Miracle Day and he also made fun of a younger actor who he thought took his work to seriously. I never understand the need for actors to make fun of other actors working methods etc. Yes the example I used was of a recent comment by BC which is why it came to mind. If I want to criticise someone specifically I will put their names in as I have dome here but I chose not to do it in the above as I was making a general comment about perception.
@Jimmy Pants I like both actors but have a preference for Tom, However because I have criticised him in the past people tend to jump too conclusions and assume I do not like him despite what I say to the contrary. I do think the media does not help and some of the fans. I think it would actually quite interesting to contrast their approaches and similarities and maybe throw in Ben Whishaw and Daniel Radcliffe as all four have both film and theatre credibility and large fan followings for UK actors.
@TotallyBiased I so agree about the actors in general being held to different standards and even more so in the case of TH and BC.
@Innie Outie I agree with what you are saying and it is a good example of how we perceive things differently .I did not find his behaviour at the MTV awards “cringe worthy” .I do think he tries sometimes not to be predictable in his responses and like other actors sometimes it comes over as slightly off the mark. There are times when I question his behaviour but not at the MTV awards. I did feel that on the Jimmy Carr show that his dancing went on a bit to long and needed a bit of self editing. I also remember thinking when he used to call a lot of actors like RDJ his childhood idols that although he meant well it bordered on tackless as they probably did not need to be publically reminded of how old they are in an industry that focusses on youth, It use to make me giggle every time he did it until he stopped.I just did not feel the need to make a big thing of it as lets face it we all make mistakes. It is all about your perception and to some degree mood at the time. But to often people take these perceptions and extend it to his overall personality and it goes against my thinking. I find RDJ a bit over the top at times with his to cool for school behaviour but he has turned un some amazing performances in the past and he does stand up for others on occasion which I admire.
I do think that Fassy, Tom and Benny do immerse themselves in their roles but with all of them it is variable. Fassy was amazing in 12 years but not so much in Jane Eyre, Tom has evolved Loki over several performances to the point where you can no longer see where you can no longer see Tom in Loki but as much as I loved OLLA I felt Tom was still there lurking around the fringes and Benedict in Tinker Tailor seemed to live in the part but not so much in Parade’s end in which on occasion he seemed to be giving a performance. But all three are brilliant when they are on form and the script works for them
@icerose: re: Fassy, Benny&Hiddles disappearing into their roles: what you’re saying is very interesting, I guess to a certain degree it depends on perceptions here. I have seen Michael in Jane Eyre, X-Men, all three McQueen films and Prometheus, and now that I think about it, I can say that he was least organic in X-Men, imo. But the diversity and his sheer range are awesome. As for Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre, I just watched it and really loved it! I thought that Wasikowska and Fassbender were perfectly cast for it and were a seamless, beautifully balanced duo.
Hiddleston I think was the least organic for me in his early TV works. I think that what he truly needs is as much experience in different films and roles as possible – and he seems to be going namely for that. Potentially – and eventually – he can play anyone imo, but he needs to toughen up his acting, so to say.
As for Cumberbatch.. Imo since Sherlock he’s been playing – quite brilliantly! – variations of basically the same type of intellectual and emotionally restrained character =( I wish he took more risks.
It make me all warm inside – both GTD & letter. Fortunately tom can’t drop the charm & geek-love if he tried. His personal life is a bit of a uncharming mess LOL if tumblr is to believed. But his niceness is without question.
Tumblr is fan fiction.
They are having fun this morning with benny and a secret date after comic-con. I know I shouldn’t feed the trolls but well bored this weekend. Sick 🙁 summer cold.
Feel better. Think about salmon.
Don’t forget the croute.
That would add girth, wouldn’t it?
‘P’enny – if Hiddles’ private life was as big a mess as That Site suggests, he wouldn’t be able to function at the levels required for filming, or Coriolanus in particular!
He wouldn’t be able to drag himself upright, shower, or shave. All of which he seems to somehow do.
I know, one of the most stupid things I read on that site is his amazing a-life during Coriolanus. The guy has energy but not that much.
If he had a willy the size of a whole salmon crout he would not be able to stand straight let alone run for miles and dance all night,
That site is not about Tom it mainly about fan baiting and settling old scores and anon sources who may or may not exist and if they do exist you have to wonder what their motivation is.
@icerose
LMAO you made me think of Tom’s x-rated Thor interview there.
Molijnor in his pants… so big he will fall over….
As someone who won’t touch tumblr with a ten foot pole, can you summerize? I’m curious but not enough to look for myself.
I have just tried to go on to Tumblr for the second time in my life, and I just….I cannot. Perhaps I’m to old. It just FREAKS ME THE F*** OUT! I went there with the purpose of trying to get enough info to summarise, as InvaderTak requests….but I’m afraid someone else is going to have to fill us in InvaderTak, I’m with you on this one. I can’t hack Tumblr.
The worst one, that we refer to as That Site, is positively libellous and the blogger expects readers to believe everything posted because “her sources are absolutely reliable” even after admitting that she was totally fooled into posting lies by at least one of those sources.
Oft-repeated, unfounded and several obviously false speculations, which people treat as absolute truth and use to make defamatory character judgments about sexual acts, personal relationships, temperment, substances, and values.
@Joe spider, Lilacflowers:
Edit: If you saw what I wrote before, please disregard. I’ll stay on the nice side of gossip.
No problem, the stuff we allude to is just fiction. Best to keep away from it.
And it’s also composed of completely anonymous messages so there is zero accountability for what gets said. It gives people free reign to run amok with their nastiest thoughts and opinions and it’s a prime example of human nature at its worst. They claim it’s all just gossip but its actually a more forum to speculate and project the most vile things about people they don’t even know. And since I’ve been a topic of conversation on there, I can attest to that. And if you disagree or disapprove in any way, you are the worst of the worst…a NANNY!!
@joe spider, I particularly enjoyed when somebody pointed out one of her stories couldn’t be true because various resumes on at least three websites showed him to be in Spain with Gwen Christie at the time she claimed something happened and she proceeded to insist that those websites (IMDB, Wikipedia, Cheek By Jowl’s archives) were all part of a huge cover-up and had altered his resumes to hide the truth. Apparently, they were all so desperate to hide the truth about some hook-up that they also altered Christie’s, Branagh’s and Ewan McGregor’s listings too. I also love how she insists that all the people she names are reading her and are furious.
@Highland Fashionista I go on tumblr threads regularly to see if there is any news about a film, Tom or other actors I am interested in. It does not really bother me. I skip the bits that bore me, ignore anything I find obnoxious and smile if I see something amusing. I actually like reading the posts by the younger fans who are still at school because it reminds me of how I took my fanning so seriously back then.
The site people are talking about is not particularly typical of tumblir because it was set up to encourage negativity about Tom and his fans and you really have to wonder at the motivation behind some one who spends that amount of time on something that is pretty petty and vacuous.
but there are some good tumblr sites,
Torilla is a brilliant for posting high-res pics
and i soft spot for lego -loki
and i have a delicious laugh at ‘Texts from Jotun,’ 🙂
I get my tumblr laughs from Imgur. The best of it compiled into a nice post. Let someone else wade thru that mess! lol
@P’enny I use to like the cartoon series where Loki moved in with Tom and Tom’s niceness made Loki despair. i mist check out Text’s from Jotum.
@icerose
Loki and the Loon is very funny. This is my favourite scene LOL.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8gr2a8Wbn1rb9bnuo2_500.gif
Did the artist stop doing Loki & the Loon?
@Lilacflowers Was that the long-lost gf story because I thought the original was 2008 and corrected to 2009. It was a load if rubbish but I think I know where the LA trip idea came from.
@Catherine, it was the story that was posted here last fall and debunked within minutes because none of it meshed with known time lines AND the author herself, who claimed to know him, had posted the day before that she wanted to meet him.
We have no idea about his personal life…as it should be. Tumblr is speculation and mostly crap.
The vast majority of blogs dedicated to Hiddleston on Tumblr are harmless and fun and mostly full of pretty pictures. There are just a small number of blogs that spew venom.
I love it. It’s nice to hear about nice people. Hot damn, that guy. The things I would let him do.
If you don’t feel that way about Joss Whedon, you’re just jealous. Dork power!
Clearly Hiddleston is responding to Whedon’s incredible ability as a writer. I have felt supreme moments of satisfaction watching episodes of Angel, Firefly and Buffy (Also Doll House which I really liked) and I for one can understand what it must feel like to be reciting such great lines and to be involved with such a great character. As an actor Hiddleston must feel like he is in an all-you-can-eat lobster buffet and must have known how this would boost his career. He is happy and appreciative. Certainly understandable
And lets face it he wrote Tom a part which was not only in every scene but was pivotal to the plot. He had his time with every Avenger and some great dialogue.So why not say how happy he was, The one thing we know from TDW is that if Tom is not happy with something he will suggest changes and add dialogue except of course if it is JJ who is way to cool to argue with and then he goes all grumpy and Tilda has to smooth things over,
@icerose-LOL. So damn true on the JJ part. “But it’s so hard for Tom” oh, Tilda. Right there to back Tom up. LOL
Well, Tilda was responsible for JJ even meeting with him for the part so peacemaker would be her role.
That part was the best. Love Tilda.
But let’s not forget that Tom also wrote something for OLLA, the dialogue with Adam going on about humans being afraid of their own imaginations and Eve answering that life’s about kindness and dancing and all that was written by Tom & Tilda themselves, iirc. JJ asked them to do it and I think it was initially much longer? Damn, I’ve already forgotten half of the things from the OLLA interviews.
@ icerose. Loki was indeed a juicy part and there was nothing for Tom to complain. As you said somewhere below, Tom was not there to grade JW’s script, and all Tom was supposed to do is providing a feedback as an actor. And I remember JW talked every actor before writing the script, so Tom was happy to see JW create magnificient Loki with what they talked before.
Did Hiddles mean for Whedon to go public with the letter?
Once you send an email, you have no control over what the recipient does with it.
Well I know that. I was just wondering if Tom wanted it to go public.
He could have asked/told Hiddleston he was putting the letter in his book.
Agreed, but realistically speaking, I’m sure Joss asked.
I mean, why wouldn’t he? This email is a very minor part of his life story. Why would he want to ruffle the feathers of someone who’s friends with the actors he’s currently working with over such a small thing?
And, once asked, why wouldn’t Tom agree to it? It’s a small favor for a director who he’d probably at least like to keep the door open for working with again. The worst that can be said of the email is that it’s dorky and gushy, aspects of Tom’s personality that he’s previously been comfortable showing in public. The best that can be said of it is that it’s sweet and articulate and genuinely passionate about the material, all of which are pretty much the image that Tom projects of himself.
Hiddles has talked about his very long letter in a self deprecating manner so he new it was already out on the internet even if people had not read it but I am pretty sure Josh would have asked him.It is a common courtesy to ask if you can forward an email or show it to others and if you are going to publish it eve more so.
Exactly, icerose. The only time you tend to see emails published without permission beforehand is if it’s an expose type piece or one intended to be critical of someone. This exchange makes both men look good from the standpoint of most people who will read the story.
I like Celebitchy in part because it caters to an audience of people who are thoughtful about such matters and who can disagree with each other politely over them, but this isn’t the typical audience for such a story. The normal person will either hear of it and think it’s cute or not hear of it because they don’t care about either Tom Hiddleston or Joss Whedon.
@ Lunchcoma. To me CB always seems to have low tolerance for or allergic to cringeness. I am ok with it as long as opinions can be expressed freely and oppositions can be considered with reason and good manners.
The punctuation in the published version indicates that some parts were omitted. I’m choosing to believe that someone educated at the Dragon School, Eton, and Cambridge isn’t indulging in the current stupid American trend to misuse the ellipsis because people mistakenly believe that scattering it throughout their documents willy-nilly makes them look smarter somehow and that Whedon, also well educated, used it properly to show parts had been removed when he released it. I can only imagine how long it really was and what was omitted.
Such a happy, enthusiastic man. And GDT seems to have changed his middle name for him. He will now forever be known as “Tom F***ing Hiddleston.”
I kind of love that GDT is a Tommy fan boy.
He’s probably writing parts for him in all of his projects – and building a house for him in his backyard.
LOL @Lilac! I imagine the house for him in his backyard includes everything Shakespeare to delight our boy.
I just love that Tom and Del Toro have this amazing enthusiasm for their work. And after all the Tom love I do hope he casts him again.
One con report I read said that Tom managed to steal the show again without even being there. Apparently they were screaming as soon as Del Toro mentioned his name.
Some of the internet fed back sites expressed disappointment in the Marvel panel and felt it was a bit of a let down.
I imagine Tom and Guillermo del Toro being fanboys in Bleak House *0*
http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-AE281_bleakh_G_20131028163628.jpg
@icerose, I think Feige realized he couldn’t top last year. He did say at the time that, although he has a great deal of talent under contract, that performance required someone with serious stage training to pull it off and the others didn’t have it. Chris Evans and Scarlett said they were blown away by it as they waited for their turn. So, Feige probably figured to keep things a little low-key this year. The fact that no other studio attempted anything else that came close to it is notable too. Even in his absence, Tom rules Hall H. If he’s there for Crimson Peak next year, Feige will have him do something for Marvel too. The undisputed King of SDCC.
Yeah, you can’t do that every year or with everyone, Lilacflowers. It seems like someone with theater training is best equipped for that kind of stunt, and also like it’s more effective if it’s done randomly rather than every year or every time there’s a big release. Marvel might do something fun in the future, but they’ll want it to be a surprise.
Re: SDCC: people’s reactions are so different – and directly reflect their preferences lol. Cumbercollective is confident The Batch single-handedly ruled day 1 of Comic-Con – never mind McConaughey and Nolan popping their Comic-Con cherry and showing some additional Interstellar footage which swept most of critics off their feet. My close friend who’s a huge DC fan says DC was top of the game and Wonder Woman RULES – while others report that DC panel was short and rather awkward, no-one recognised Batfleck when he walked the halls alone and Wonder Woman’s costume sucks 😀
Personally, 2 main things I took away from it: can’t wait to watch Crimson Peak AND Mad Max! I never thought MM would look so fantastic, and it seems MM trailer was one of the biggest hits of this Comic Con – critics certainly keep gushing about it lol. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akX3Is3qBpw I hope the final products will be as gritty and the storyline will be up to par. If it is – that’s definitely a franchise worthy of Hardy and it’ll then push him up to Fassy’s level in an instant.
@Innie Outie I think that Bennie ruled day 1 for his fans but reading overall reviews of the cons/panels quite often his name does not even come up. DC seems to have come out favourable especially in terms of Wonder Women but the opinions about the Marvel panel have been diverse. The most interesting part for me was when they brought out the new Thanos. Legendary has done well out of it especially as the focus was not just on CP.
The two subjects that I heard that trended were CP and Wonder Women. Has anybody else seen anything else.
I have reservations about a Mad Max revival, I was a fan of the earlier films and so many of my favourites have been ruined by this obsession with re boots. But I do admire Tom Hardy’s acting so good luck to him!
@innie outie and icerose, looking through the more comic or entertainment oriented sites, as opposed to the gossip sites, there was no real standout of any sort this year. The Hobbit panel barely scored a mention other than Peter Jackson’s story about his original plans for both the Hobbit and LOTR. DC was given a slight edge over Marvel, but only slight and nothing mind-blowing, and GDT managed to get himself heavy coverage and much love on every single day of SDCC, and built up much anticipation for Crimson Peak and Tom’s return next year.
@icerose and Lilac: yup, it all really confirms just how different perceptions are 😀 I watched a couple of Benny vids and he looked very cute, and he certainly enjoyed the attention which wasn’t lacking lol. However, I consciously skipped the Hobbit panel =/ As someone said on Facebook – Peter Jackson is quickly becoming as self-indulgent a director as George Lucas.. Desolation of Smaug was empty and lifeless imo, and I’m afraid The Battle of Five Armies will be just that – a CGI battlefest *sighs*
As for CP – I was honestly surprised how much attention it got o_O I’m following a bunch of film critics and blogs on Twitter – Weintraub, The Tracking Board, Deadline, AVClub, EW – and they all twitted about GDT and CP. GDT is a smart shiller 😛
@lilac, I laughed at your comment, “…indulging in the current stupid American trend to misuse the ellipsis because people mistakenly believe that scattering it throughout their documents willy-nilly makes them look smarter…” Wait a minute…I use ellipses…a lot…and I’m American!
Could I be guilty of willy-nilly scattering myself?
Please hold while I consult Wikipedia for the proper usage in informal correspondence. Hmm, I may be granted dispensation, “Depending on their context and placement in a sentence, ellipses can also indicate an unfinished thought, a leading statement, a slight pause, and a nervous or awkward silence.”
Can I get an official ruling from the judges? I’d hate to have to skulk away from CB when I’m having so much fun… <— this, I've learned, is known as an Aposiopesis. Just don't ask me to say it out loud, it's all Greek to me.
THANK YOU DARA!!
….as I, also, have been known to scatter ellipses ‘willy nilly’…or at least when I’ve hesitated or otherwise not necessarily finished a thought. 😀
Also much thanks for the Greek lesson. (Grammar AND a classic language–now we’re cooking. )
Just so long as you are not using them to indicate a simple pause, which is the comma’s job.
Punctuation has been a weak spot of mine for as long as I can remember. I vaguely recall owning a copy of The Chicago Manual of Style at some point in my life but can only remember cracking it open once. After staunching the rivers of blood suddenly gushing from my eyes and ears, I just never felt the urge to try that again. Can you tell it’s not my favorite subject?
Posting here has forced me to up my game – I think I proofread and check my placement of commas, semi-colons and parentheses in what I post to this site more than I do in my work correspondence. I mean that in the best possible way – I’ve ignored the glory that is grammar and punctuation for far too long.
Awww, total dork but very cute. Plus you have to remember that this is before he had fully broken out. He’s saying thank you to the guy who wrote his breakout role.
Tom, Tom, Tom.
He’s a real brown-noser, isn’t he?
Love him anyway. Loquacious!
Noo he’s not a brown-noser at all. Bit of a suck up but he’s in a sycophantic industry, just starting out & playing with some big boy directors that can make or break you. but if he didn’t like something in a script he’d say so. He adds and changes and occasionally gets stroppy on set – can’t wait for that OLLA disk.
Ahh, OLLA’s Travelling at Night is precious in this respect 😉 You can see that he’s respectful and attentive and follows what the director and crew ask, but he has his say, adds creatively and speaks out when frustrated.
Though at first I was surprised at his expressing frustration I like that part in the making documentary. He just looks like a tense young actor and it adds some touch to mostly happy, puppy-like Tom.
I really did like seeing that side of him. We always see the happy, go-lucky, I will dance for my dinner side of him while promoting but then to see part of the work side of him was refreshing.
Tommyboy needs to work his bronzer better.
Nothing bad with fanboy-ing/ a**kissing, everybody likes to stay sucessful in acting, but this WHITE LINE between his face and his hair Looks awful.
thank goodness he’s been indoors most of this year, sans Bora Bora.
As so many of the articles about celebs are about violence, adultery, drug taking and general nastiness – not a criticism of this site, which is streets ahead of others in the calibre of contributions ( I can brown nose too) – I can forgive a bit of over- enthusiastic emailing.
I’ve never seen someone work “streets ahead” into an unrelated comment so seamlessly!
And +1 to the positive story. As a writer, I can only imagine how it must feel to receive such gushing prose about one’s own writing… so it’s lovely to see an actor reach out and respond so thoroughly to Whedon’s work. Screenwriting is way too unappreciated these days.
If all those varying descriptions of Loki’s character and plot were not accurate, I might have thought Hiddles was shamelessly obsequious. But here Tom rightly depicts the character and script (and sometimes mock his enthusiastic self) and expresses his gratitude warmly (ok, to some people, too warmly). So his vice would be lack of brevity, not self-serving flattery.
Well, Hiddles never spare words, especially in praising his colleagues, and thankfully most people he has worked with are worthy of praise. I can agree that Spielberg, Jamusch, and GdT are excellent film makers.
And I also think that both Joss and Tom needed somewhat over-the-top encouragement and kind words at that moment. Though we all know now the Avengers was hugely successful, when the project announced there were many doubting voices. Joss directed only one feature film, Serenity before the Avengers although he was famous for his TV Works. Joss himself might have felt less confident about shooting the film. I guess that Tom’s mail to Joss must have been a cup of hot chocolate the director dearly needed then. I think Joss felt genuinely happy about Tom’s email, seeing that he published that looooong email in his biography.
Tom might have wanted to feel confident about the success of the project and his performance by writing that email. Certainly there is no question of his dorkiness. Sometimes I personally wish he cut down 20% of his words, but reticent Tom would be entirely another creature.
I started cackling when reading Joss’s response, which noted that Tom’s e-mail about the script was probably longer than the script itself.
I liked that too! I also think part of Tom’s appeal (for some of us, that is) is his wordiness and talkiness. Most men don’t tend to be all that talky whereas most women are very verbal. So it’s kind of refreshing to see a guy like Tommy, even if he over-emotes sometimes. 😉
I also liked “uncharacteristic fist bump” from Joss’ side. JW seemed embarrassingly pleased, but pleased anyway.
You have a good point @Gingerly – I think the Avengers project had a lot of hurdles to overcome and not everyone was convinced it could work, including me. When the first whispers about the Avengers movie started, I had no desire at all to see it, aside from a mild enjoyment of RDJ as Iron Man. That many super-heroes in one movie – I was convinced it was going to be a ponderous, bloated, humorless, explosion-filled mess that no actor worthy of that title should consider signing on for.
Once they announced Joss would be writing AND directing, I was pretty optimistic it could work. Then got really excited when I saw the cast they put together – RDJ, Ruffalo, Evans, Renner, Johansson, and Sam Jackson… oh, and two other guys I had never heard of playing Norse gods, one of them the villain of the piece. Only then did I move from the ‘not really into it’ column into the ‘yeah, maybe’ column.
All of that to say that I think Joss took a potential Razzie-winner in the making and turned it into something really special. Tom’s enthusiasm for the script sounds like genuine excitement to me, maybe mixed in with a little relief that he wasn’t going to be the headlining villain in a Michael Bay-like monstrosity that could doom his film career before it ever had a chance.
@ Dara, I checked JW’s biography at Amazon – felt a bit curious about how much was written about the film and I also thought that writing his bio is a bit too early.
Anyway I find that that introduction begins with the story of the challenge JW had to face in directing the film. The biographer mentioned the point that I made – that is, the Avengers was his only second work, and he had to deal with a number of A list actors and manage the huge budget wisely.
Few responses. I doubt if Tom would write quite such an effusive letter now (particularly if he thought it might get published!), that was back in, what, 2010/11 and he probably couldn’t believe his luck, having what was supposed to be a subordinate role in Thor, to get this just afterwards.
Re the bronzer – that also hasn’t been in evidence this year thank goodness 🙄 the photo at the top was taken in spring last year and I believe Tom went on a skiing holiday just prior which may account for this and the “Cannes” look. It is easy to get sunburned quickly at higher altitudes. ( know, I’ve done it).
If he was such a brown noser on set you wouldn’t get so many directors and particularly other actors saying how great he is to work with.
But then I’m a fan so what do I know?
I though it was from the Much Ado About Nothing screening in June.
You are right,sorry but if you check the Canne pics a bit before the sun damage is more obvious.
I like this letter. If one is going to gush, one might as well do it properly.
Yeah, I can’t find anything to complain about here. 🙂
Right? When I was gushing about SDCC yesterday, for example, I could only mutter incoherent words while doing a weird tap dance. His gushing seemed absolutely tame compared to most fanboys/girls lol
Jammy-
Incoherent words while simultaneously doing a weird tap dance?? I wish I could have seen that, LOL!
I would love to go to SDCC someday. I would probably start flailing and babbling before I could even get off the plane in San Diego.
Actually 2 years ago Hiddleston described this email as a”4,000 word dissertation”. Knowing this, Whedon’s reply that Hiddleston’s email was longer than the script makes more sense.
http://fuckyeahjosswhedon.tumblr.com/post/22148963570/tom-hiddleston-writes-joss-dissertation-script-notes
The following is something I need to frame for my own wall, to remind me what a good script entails…
“The nuts and bolts of it, the skeleton of the story, hell, not even the skeleton, the flesh and the meat on the bone, it was all there. The drama, the character, the humour, the spectacle. It was an incredible feat of screenwriting, and one of the best scripts I have ever read.”
Hiddleston has a genuine interest in literary and artistic criticism, and I believe he meant this email. I would love to receive the best of the best scripts before they’re in production, and see how an amazing writer imagines each rich world.
Dear Kaiser, we have 15 months, not 18 months from the release of CP. The official release day of CP is October 2015. Please do not add unnecessary pain. A number of cinephiles who love GdT’s Spanish language films are excited to see the coming film. Maybe the film might be shown at film festivals such as Cannes or Toroto sometime before October.
I’m putting money on it being shown at Cannes & TIFF next year.
oh if it is at the London film festival I could go see it.
Urgh … just stop. Not hot at all.
But… we are talking about an email o.0 jajaja
Well, he is….earnest. And fervent. And lavish. I like him, though. I want to see him be evil and dirty. Where can I see that?
I hope In Crimson Peak…
High Rise 🙂
Ooh, that reminds me I’ve got that on my Kindle and need to read it.
I don’t know why people are giving hiddles a hard time over this. I know I would do exactly the same thing if I was in his position.
The appeal of Hiddles is mainly because he acts normal which sane fans can relate to
You and me both. He seems like such a happy guy, which may be why he’s so good at bad guys——it’s a vacation from himself.
I think it’s a lovely fan letter. I would like to send him “Elements of Style”, though. On the other hand, it’s a pleasure to read an actor’s writing that is articulate and actually literate. I know little about him but he seems like a sweetie. Loved him as Loki.
Hes not getting a hard time anymore than he would from.his mates, lol even sixer is giving praising him in her own way. 😉
Yes, as big as a fan of a Tom as I am, I initially cringed at the sight of the worded e-mail. Then I thought to myself, if I were working with J.K. Rowling as an actress in the Harry Potter series, I’d be just as much of a fangirl as Tom is a fanboy. Sci-Fi can bring out the true geek in you, If you’re capable of being in to that sort of thing, it can provoke and elicit some seriously hidden admiration for the creator of these things. People make fun of how geeky I can be about the epic fantasy and YA genre, but that’s just me, lol. But how many people actually get to work closely with the creators of the stuff that their completely geeky about? Still have to love Tommy here because I’m a true dragonfly.
He knows what to say. Clever boy 🙂
I’d rather chug a beer in a pub with this guy any day over a naturally bitchy person like Charlize. I’d rather work with a really kind person like Tom, even if some of his kindness appears to be pretentious or brown-nosing, versus someone like Theron, who’s mean majority if not all of the time. Sorry, I’d say this even if I weren’t a dragonfly. 🙂
I had pretty much the same reaction as you did, Kaiser. I cringed a bit as I was reading it, since it’s full of things that seem entirely normal to think but that come off as a bit embarrassing when conveyed to others. It’s really dorky. But dorky is one of the things I like about Tom, and the email is also sweet and insightful and probably very nice to read if you’re the person who’s work is being praised. When it comes down to it, I’d much rather see someone excited and happy about making things that I’m in turn excited and happy to watch than bored or cynical or over it all.
Poor guy. Who knew being earnest and dorky as hell can get such criticism? =p
Particularly three years after the event! Which is perhaps why he doesn’t express opinions vry often these days.
IKR but probably he doesn’t care xD
Let’s be real, he’s too busy to!
And that is fantastic, busy Tom is my favourite Tom at this moment.
And he currently has to deal with a co-worker who seems intent on drawing attention to herself by sharing too much information about the men she is working with.
I’m not too keen on Sienna’s tweet methods. Sure it’s her personality, but it’s not my cup of tea.
She makes the other Sienna actually look better.
He could prove himself a real jerk like Gary Oldham or an idiot like Jenny McCarthy but he’s just showing himself to be enthusiastic and happy.
@Lilacflowers,
Gary Oldham. Rotflmao.
Yes, sorry. Although he was rather hammy in the Planet of the Apes sequel.
I think people like earnest and dorky– but roll their eyes at the brown-nosing, the lack of a real opinion about anything, and the superficiality. It is possible to be earnest and dorky and *not* be this way. Really, really it is. Passion *can* include actual thought and the willingness to take a stand on an idea.
It would be nice if people could put aside these straw man arguments. I don’t think those of us who criticize Hiddles are being “cynical”. We are just pointing out something rather obvious, and crave something with a little more substance.
If I didn’t think he was capable, I wouldn’t bother making the point.
I don’t think anyone’s asked him really critical questions though. Maybe we’ll see in the future? The only time I’ve seen a question of opinion asked is which film did he not like, to which he replied Scott Pilgrim. People tend to ask him questions about things he already likes as opposed to asking him for things he opposes or doesn’t like. The only other time I’ve seen him go off the beaten path is when he expressed his views about Twitter and his fandom (which I have to say was kind of refreshing).
The press sucks up to him. They always ask the same questions. It’s so disappointing when I watched his Nerd HQ last year and all the fans asked the most predictable, boring questions. None of them asked really challenging questions. There was only one part I appreciated was when he talked about taking scripts that Fassbender passed on. That came out of one question of like 20.
I like to add that I think what he usually says has A LOT of substance. But if it doesn’t apply to the audience receiving it, then it means nothing. To me, what he says means a lot, to me.
Opinions galore! =p
http://www.timeout.com/london/film/tom-hiddleston-interview-im-just-not-cool-enough
@jammy-the TimeOut interview where he mentions “talking the fans down”? God, when I read that, my first thought was “finally! A real, honest, in your face response.” I want more of those.
yea, I also liked that he admitted he finds it hard to lose weight for a role like how Fassbender did it for Hunger. The bit about directors not giving a sh_t about your background when they cast you is rather bold.
Here’s another bit of opinion, taken straight from a CB post! =p
Tom on Twitter: “I started [interacting] because it was nice to have my own voice. But I feel Twitter is kind of like a school noticeboard – some people put up important information, some put up graffiti, some put up jokes and some put up really terrible things. People, on the whole, are really nice to me. But I have been in receipt of astonishing levels of vitriol and hatred. People will say the crudest, most offensive things, and you have to avoid getting into that. You have to be very careful not to be drawn into the riptide of the most destructive and cynical aspects of it.”
ahh, I forgot he said that about Twitter. He posted a few times yesterday & as other pointed out then, some of the response he was getting were just bizarre. And he isn’t the only celebrity I notice who gets those responses. And some wonder why he doesn’t interact the same way on Twitter anymore.
@jammypants, I liked that interview and, yes, it does contain opinions galore on a variety of subjects and I remember people being unhappy with some of those opinions. I’m always impressed that he doesn’t water down his vocabulary.
Ah, but MissJupitero, you expressed an opinion and for every opinion, there are concurring opinions and dissenting opinions. So, here, have a refreshing summer beverage of your choice (I recommend the mojitos on a sticky, hot evening like this one) and some of these lemon bars I just made (before my boyfriend inhales them all) and help me draft a letter to the Brattle. I want to ask them to put OLLA in monthly repertoire. Even though I have the DVD on order, there’s nothing like seeing a film in a theater and I missed this past Thursday’s showing due to a dental appointment.
@Miss Jupitor I think saying it is “obvious” is a bit strong when it is really about perception. It may be obvious to you but not to me and others it seems. When you say it is obvious you deny others their right to their beliefs, I may disagree with others beliefs but I would never argue that they that they should be able to see it a certain way because I do. I might try and alter their perception.
I love passionate people but they do not have to be confrontational. Some of the most passionate people I know rarely speak out unless it is requested. I also love people who shout their beliefs from the rooftops in an effort to bring about change. Why do we have decide one is more worthy than the other? In the end it pretty much comes down to actions in conjunction with with words. The man who walked towards the tanks and troops in Tiananmen Square said nothing but spoke out in away a long speech might not have achieved.
honestly, even if he expresses an opinion, it’s a damned if you and damned if you don’t sort of situation. To me, even singing praises about films he likes or costars he admires, that IS expressing an opinion and it IS of substance. Some people will like those opinions while others find them useless. Positive or negative opinions are opinions. I’m quite stunned that further up this thread that the Kardashians even got brought up. There’s just no way he’s that vain, vapid, shallow, or insipid. But as mentioned, if being a bit embarrassing for being a dork is the worst of his crimes, then I guess it isn’t a bad thing…
As others have said, he doesn’t exactly get asked too many questions that are challenging or thought-provoking that require much in the way of an answer. That most recent Elle UK interview is a prime example.
@Miss Jupitero: aww, I hope you didn’t take me mentioning cynical as a personal jab or something, and if you or anyone else did – I apologise! I did not mean it in a negative sense at all, since I said I myself can be “objective to the point of cynical”. Cynicism to me is rather an extension of objectivity that’s worded in a snarky way, so it’s not a negative trait per se.
@M.A.F. & Jammypants, he posted on Twitter again today – a really nice quote about life from a Ballard novel and the responses to it were ridiculous. People clearly weren’t even reading what he wrote and were just posting nonsense about wanting him to follow them and have crushes on them.
How much do you want to bet all those needy tweeters that kept churning out the skeleton pictures and the #dontforgetushiddles (or whatever the hell it was) tags take credit for the drought finally breaking? Ugh. Now they’ll probably do it every time he goes more than a week without tweeting.
@Dara, even William Shatner was involved with that.
@Lilac and @Dara: when I read that tweet, I thought that it was a harsh and sad quote, very realistic. And then I saw answers to his tweet O_< IDE..
Some of his fans are extremely embarrassing and need help.
@Lilac – great minds think alike (she says humbly). I was going to call out Shatner but then couldn’t find his tweet. In looking for it, I got so enthralled – and not in a good way – by his twitter feed that I gave up and just hit submit.
If someone can be accused of fan-baiting, can he be accused of celeb-baiting? He seems to spend a lot of time tweeting random celebs trying to get them to respond. Sometimes they come out and play, a lot of times I think (and hope) he just gets ignored and he moves on to the next one.
@Dara, you do have a great mind and so humble too. That’s just Shatner. He does what he wants. Always has. But he’s 83 and still working and has a rapid fan base.
Thanks darling. And I’ve enjoyed the Shatner before – in small doses, I don’t follow him so I’d only see the tweets that got re-tweeted by someone I do follow. I guess it was a little off-putting just seeing all together in one pile. I was impressed by how many followers he has!
Basically, I expect Tom to think and speak/write like a Cambridge educated person, but only with BA (yes, with double first, but BAs are BA). As a person who left university 10 years ago and choose an entirely different career, he is more than ok to me in his interviews and writings. He expresses his thoughts and feelings accurately, sensibly in plain language with some flourish when he has time and space. And I respect everyone’s right to remain silent in public on certain issues whatever his/her job is.
I think I can understand why some people feel frustrated with Tom’s supposed “superficiality.” He mostly talks about the films, books, actors he loved, without criticizing horrible works he might have disliked, and always begins with broad, general praises, and after some sentences goes to specific points (which are mostly accurate as in his email to JW, but may not be original, insightful enough to impress every audience). If he or his interviewee is not given time (e.g. red carpet), or if his reader does not care to wait, there is a possibility that Tom can sound just gushy, ass-kissing, with small substance.
Actually I am not sure whether Tom will bring the most original or genuinely brilliant interpretation of the Henriad, Coriolanus, or the British Gothic Romance even if he has time to think and write. He is not professionally trained as film critic or Shakespeare scholar. But I will read articles published in Sight and Sound or Shakespeare Quarterly if I want truly original, articulate arguments.
I am not saying that actors have right to be ignorant, whether Cambridge educated or not, or that actor’s comments are worthless. Rather, my point is that there are several kinds of intellect (I have worked with numerous scholars of varying disciplines) and that actors show their intellect mostly through their performance, not their short/long interviews. I would be happy to hear him talk about Orestes, the Bacchae, or Phaedra which he surely could discuss more eloquently than Shakespeare. But I am much more interested in his discussion of actors’ preparation of sword play or highly emotional scenes, because that is the part he knows best.
What’s wrong with only a BA? And this may surprise you:
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/camdata/tripos.html
I just wanted to say, historically both Cambridge and Oxford only award BA, they don’t award BSc. So please get your information right then bash other people achievements.
@Sara…
I think @Gingerly is dissing (ever so politely, mind) the BA as compared to postgraduate work (although what s/he considers “professionally trained” for a film critic I’d be fascinated to hear.)
And on that point I must disagree–Tom’s post-grad education would certainly include his time at RADA, as nontraditional as that must seem to some academics. In addition, a well-educated, scholarly-trained mind (the result of Dragon School + Eton + Cambridge) not only reading and analysing but PERFORMING Shakespeare is, in my opinion, certainly as qualified as any upper-degree’d professor to discuss most aspects of Shakespeare. He certainly held his own on that BBC program with the historian. (For that matter, so did Mark Rylance.)
Mr. H appears to be both an autodidact by taste/inclination AND a highly-schooled individual. Unless someone administered his exams themselves, or have ‘tested’ him in some way, I find it a scosh presumptuous to be quite so dismissive of his probable upper limits.
I think this may be the only celebrity gossip site where a commenter might consider a BA degree (from Cambridge no less) as a less-than-worthy achievement…ouch.
There is a place in the Shakespearean universe for the scholarly research and analysis that Gingerly speaks of – I myself have been thinking of starting up my subscription to Shakespeare Quarterly again, but I’m starting to embrace the less-sacred, anything-goes spirit that seems to be gaining momentum lately. There have been some amazing productions recently that have turned the Shakespearean tradition upside down, the all-female production of Julius Caesar, the Tempest that incorporated actual magic on stage, Alan Cumming’s one man production of the Scottish Play, etc.
Shakespeare in his own time was not considered high-brow, his audience was not the elite of society or the aristocracy. The goal was not scholarly debate but getting an audience to spend their hard-earned money to see his plays. I’m not saying he didn’t create amazing works of art that continue to spark something in our collective soul, but I’m not sure that was his goal. At the time, if a play didn’t bring in the box office his company quickly moved on to another that might.
Given the sheer volume of work he produced in such a short time, I honestly think if Shakespeare were working today he’d be writing/directing episodic television. Given his fondness for graphic violence and adult humor he’d have a production deal with HBO or Netflix and he’d be competing for Emmy awards with Aaron Sorkin, Matthew Weiner, David Milch, Vince Gilligan and the nerd genius that is Joss Whedon.
All of that to say that I think it does a disservice to Shakespeare’s original intent to consider an actor’s observations about text and character less valid (and valued) than those of an Elizabethan scholar.
@Dara–agree with you on so many fronts WITH THE ADDITIONAL OPINION that individuals can be considered both. Mark Rylance is published in the field–specifically the “authorship debate.”
@Totally – absolutely agree and I never meant to imply it was an either/or proposition, but that particular combo is quite rare these days.
I’ve been wanting to get further into the ‘authorship debate’ – we briefly discussed the various theories in school, but quickly moved on – probably because no one wanted to disappear down that particular rabbit hole when there wasn’t a hope in hell of any of us figuring it out if the debate was still raging after all these centuries.
Such an interesting thread to read!
I think some people – as is seen in this thread – are naturally more cynical than others. I, however, have always found myself torn between passion and, as Lady Collyer so excellently put it in DBS, guarded enthusiasm lol. I can be very objective to the point of cynical about things I simply appreciate/respect (I do not think we can be truly objective and/or cynical about things we hate because hatred is also passion). However, when I deeply love something, I can still dissect and analyse it alright, but it feels almost forced, as if I’m consciously depriving myself of an act of pure enjoyment.
I don’t really know what kind of person Hiddles is, but I think that, if his enthusiasm is genuine – it does not mean he’s incapable of objective judgement. If he’s brown-nosing – it doesn’t mean he’s not genuinely thrilled with whatever he’s expressing his enthusiasm with. It’s all about nuances and personal choices on what to say and what to keep to yourself. Imo the most important thing is to be honest with yourself and true in your intentions.
well said!
For all we know the rest of the letter may have been a more critical analysis framed in such away that avoided offence. Tom is not a fool. If an unknown actor in his second block buster role starts to criticise the writer it is not a good way forward. Some one like RDJ can do it which is why Josh sent him several scripts for his chrarcter, i though that was a quite a clever move on Josh’s part,
But when people like Kenneth Brannagh and Micheal Grandage say they found Tom interesting to work with it means he must be able to hold his own in a discussion. THe bot said how intelligent he is and intelligence means you know how to analyse an issue in depth and do not accept the common premise.
He definitely made several cases with Loki’s arc in TDW. His ideas were initially mostly shot down until Feige realized later on that they work better in the film.
please someone hand over the direction of Thor3 to Hiddles. if they are struggling to pin down a good director, then give him the shot at it. we would have some pretty fine acting going on, and some real juicy scenes.
@’p’enny, or at least let him write the script and don’t edit out all of the best scenes. Between the deleted scenes in the two Thor movies, they could piece together a really good film. Of course, you will want your nude sunbathing scene.
I think any director (even an experienced one) might balk just a little at directing a Marvel movie. The studio seems to chew them up and spit them out, often before cameras even start rolling. I do wish Tom would direct at some point, but please not for Marvel – at least not right out of the gate.
Directing is one of the worst jobs ever lol. A director literally has to keep the whole movie and movie set together and make sure everything works out. It’s a huge task and responsibility – but with Marvel in the back he still has practically no say over the final product. Therefore I’d say let Hiddles start his directing career with a good ol’ short film of his choice and not a monster like Thor 3. 😉
‘@Innie Outie We are of those things enthusiastic, confrontational, spiteful ,sycophantic etc etc it just takes different situation and experiences to bring it out. It is partly Tom’s piano analogy -we all have those chords inside us its just we do not always have life event which draws them out. I use to work at a clinic for group psychotherapy and one of the consultants said that any one has the potential to have mental heath issues given the right set of circumstances. Life is one bag of tricks as Loki might argue.
Oh Tom….you’d look so much better if you laid off the tanning.
I think he has lately, that is a photo from last year! Has improved since then.
I was thinking he looks better now he’s got rid of the orange and the so called make artist he didn’t need.
Now hiddles needs to buy sunscreen and after sun and his skin will naturally glow
As long as he doesn’t get any more cracks on the forehead!
Joss’ reply really gives the email some context–he gushes as much, if not more, in a few short lines!
” Tom, this is one of those emails you keep forever. Thanks so much. It’s more articulate (and possibly longer) than the script. I couldn’t be more pleased at your reaction, but I’ll also tell you I’m still working on it … Thank you again. I’m so glad you’re pleased. Absurd fun to ensue.
Best, (including uncharacteristic fist bump), joss.”
I’m in agreement with the positive reactions here…Joss Whedon can be a seriously snarky person, and I don’t believe brown-nosing flies with him.
I don’t believe it does either. He gushes about Tom all over the commentary on the Avengers DVD, while he complains that the others (unnamed but pretty much the ensemble when in group scenes) weren’t listening to him half the time. He’s a director who has repeatedly stated that he likes to work with a handful of actors repeatedly because they get what he wants to do and he doesn’t have to put up with time-wasting distractions. When he came onto TDW, he instructed Feige to add in Tom’s suggestions.
I’d love to hear that commentary, but the UK DVD doesn’t have it 🙁 what else does he say?
and on top that pain, I can’t get to hear TDW commentary either because my Blu-ray refuses to let me choose the option. And the commentary by Ken Branagh on Thor crashes the disk.
I love commentaries, but I just can’t get them to work or be included arrgh
That he was a complete joy and one of the hardest working actors he’s ever dealt with and he was excited when he heard he was cast because he had seen him as Cassio in Othello and they spent a lot of time talking about the part before shooting and he worked months more than anyone else did and how deep the bond was between him and Hemsworth even though they work differently and how hard it was to film him in the cage or even to work with the cage and how the scene between Loki and Black Widow was his favorite even though it was hard to shoot it and on and on and on. Didn’t seem to like “significant others” showing up on set in NYC though, though shade was cast at “significant other.” And on and on and on and on. Whedon sounds and talks like my brother.
“but I’ll also tell you I’m still working on it ” a very nice way of warning him not to get to excited as it might change.
Their exchange does seem to capture their personalities doesn’t it? Tom – enthusiastic, eloquent, effusive, verging on overly verbose for some. Joss – politely kind and witty with a side of snark, glad his work is well received but still reserving the right to revise until it meets his own high standards.
You said it.
That was the beauty if the exchange. Without JW’s short, witty, dry response, Tom’s email wound have been half funny.
I read Joss’ comment again and noticed the ellipsis (@lilac, thank you for expanding my vocabulary) for edited text. We know Tom’s was shortened, now I wonder how much was edited out of Joss’ reply and what else he said?
As far as TH not having a negative opinion about anything, I remember him being asked whats the worst movie he had seen recently and he said Scott Pilgrim vs TW. Also an interview in which he expresses dismay at Pres. Obama’s possible actions in Syria and what about his involvement in charities, or when fans got loud and he firmly asked them to calm down?
Celebrities are so often cynical and rude and I think most people (like Guillermo Del Toro + most hes worked with) find his generosity and warmth to be refreshing. If I were rich and famous, even if I were appreciative, I wouldn’t have half of the generosity he has show with some people. Thats character to me.
He also said that Ystad (where Wallander is filmed) is not somewhere he would like to spend a long time. I can remember it surprised me a bit at the time.
It was pretty clear he didn’t like it there.
Which interview was that?
I like Tom Hiddleston; watched him since he hit the big time in Thor I and he’s totally genuine and there’s no need to over think any of it. He’s really just that pure. A real idealist and loves acting and the industry. And a good actor to boot. Another one is Charlie Hunnam, who’s probably less effusive or extroverted. Hiddleston probably isn’t as smooth when it comes to selling something without sounding like he’s selling it – and they all have to sell their movie or their own acting ability to get the next part – but give him a few years, maybe? Both of these good guys you’d be happy to bring home to mum and dad. We should reserve our hate for the really degenerate people who spend all their time bashing political correctness or photoshopping their wedding pics during their honeymoon. Let’s leave Tom Hiddleston alone!
On the tanning thing, I think it’s a positive thing when guys aren’t too plastic about their looks. Sounds like double standards but I don’t like guys who spend more time than I do in front of the mirror.
A little interview with Guillermo del Toro 😀
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDB-8GlMNgA&feature=youtu.be
I agree he does get bored with the same questions and people brown nosing him. The most challenging question which I’ve seen someone asked that he enjoyed was the math question. He gave the sum a good go even though he eventually admitted defeat.
beautiful english dork!
I think most actors have the ‘eager to please’ gene. What director wants an actor that won’t take notes and adjust if something is off? What producer wants to throw money at an actor that won’t do press, or worse, be a jerk if they deign to appear? Sometimes that people-pleasing tendency can lead to some cringe-worthy moments if the right circumstances and audience converge, i.e. Tom Cruise leaping onto Oprah’s couch. The trick is to learn when and where to draw the line, sometimes it’s magic (Loki at ComicCon), sometimes they misjudge and it all goes horribly wrong. All of them seem to eventually find their level, and that level can be higher for some than for others.
Actors who have long careers also have the ‘plays well with others’ personality – talent may get you in the door, hard work may keep you employed, but no amount of those two will make up for being an a$$ that makes everyone else on set miserable. Call it natural selection – there are too many other talented, hard-working (and nicer) people waiting to take your place. You may see some success early on, especially if you bring in the box office or win awards, but at some point people will come to their senses and stop calling (I’m looking at you Katherine Heigl). Sometimes you see actors that are jerks early on, but eventually they smarten up and start to the play the game a little (welcome to the party, Russell Crowe).
Yes, I think Tom’s enthusiasm is genuine. Yes, I think he goes out of his way to give people (audience, director, interviewer) what they want/need. Yes, sometimes I think he goes too far. Do I want him to change? Not even for a nano-second.
I agree, Dara.
Yeah, I think a lot of actors are probably a bit needy and eager to please. Quite a few of them joke about it so they are probably completely aware of those facets of their personalities. I don’t necessarily view those traits as negative. Most of us would much rather work with people like that than with someone who’s a jerk and an a-hole. I’m sure it’s the same for actors and movie/TV crews too.
I think this quote from The movie Harvey sums up Toms attitude. “I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whomever I’m with.”
@leah one of my best ever films and that quote is just so Tom. I wonder if he has a Harvey on set with him especially when filming something like High Rise. Where is hash tag when you need her.
OT: perfect Tom Hiddleston for me? This one: http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mbcrsu1R801rf8x1ho3_r5_400.gif Appearance, expression, everything.
Warning: the effects of the gif in question might be hypnotic 😛
Lovely!
Eh eh eh…felt the need to drop this in here, as The Tom gets so much flack for the Shakespeare references.
Evidently Mark Ruffalo commented at ComiCon on his reaction to reading Joss’ Avengers 2 script:
“When I’m reading it (the script), I’m often thinking of Shakespeare because he has the humour, the big grand ideas about mankind and the sword fights and the action. It’s deceivingly very complex.”
So sword fights in AV2?
MAF I have been trying to post the link to the interview but my posts keep going away. I will try again in the next thread.
http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/tom-hiddleston–branaghs-boy-6790076.html
@joespider, “beautiful rather than sexy.” The author doesn’t seem to understand that one can be both.
@ Lilacflowers Couldn’t agree more. And very often sexy has nothing to do with being beautiful but it is here when they come in the same Tom-shaped package!
TotallyBiased, Ruffalo also compared Whedon’s Avengers writing to Shakespeare in the Avengers 2 interview that appeared in Entertainment Weekly before Comic Con, which doesn’t seem to be on the EW website at the moment.
Yahoo movies also reminds us that Tom wrote Kieron Gillen quite the little fan-note for his portrayal of Loki in the Journey Into Mystery comics. It appeared in the Letters column of the last KG-written JiM issue.
Yahoo: “This isn’t the first time Hiddleston has sent someone a gracious note in reaction to a Loki-related matter. In 2012, the thespian wrote a letter to comic book writer Kieron Gillen after reading Gillen’s Loki-centric run on Marvel’s “Journey Into Mystery.”
“You and I see Loki the same way. He’s one dark, anarchic, bottomless black hole of rage, hatred, pity and pain,” Hiddleston wrote. “What an enormous honour to share Loki’s legacy with you. Here’s to bringing Norse back!” “
They also followed up with this comment: “He may play a superpowered megalomaniac on the big screen, but in real life Tom Hiddleston seems like a pretty nice chap.”