Actor Tom Hiddleston has spent a good time of his career playing one of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved anti-heroes, Loki. From the very first Thor film, which came out in 2011, Tom has donned the green cape and golden helmet with conviction, earning him a space in several other films and his own series. During a recent interview, Hiddleston revealed why he took up the role and how director-animator Tim Burton inspired him to play the god of mischief.
While appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Hiddleston revealed that Burton’s 1989 film Batman moved him immensely. He talked about Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker and how he carried that image in mind while playing Loki. He said, “Truthfully, I don’t think I would’ve played Loki without that film. I think the way Jack Nicholson played the Joker was so… at the time in my life when I saw it, it made such an impact on my imagination.”
The actor continued, “I understood he was the villain, but he was having such a good time — that could describe somebody else I know — and he was so charismatic and so inventive and so free. I think, probably, when I came to play Loki for the first film, I consciously kept Jack Nicholson in mind.”
Jack Nicholson as Joker in Batman (1989).
In an earlier interaction with Entertainment Weekly, Tom Hiddleston had given props to Jack Nicholson and other Hollywood actors who have played iconic villains. He said, “I’m standing on the shoulders of the villains I loved as a child and take my hat off to. Jack Nicholson as The Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman, and I bow even lower for Alan Rickman in Die Hard and James Mason in North by Northwest. I mean, Alan Rickman, particularly in that film, was having such a good time and was so likeable. I guess it’s in my makeup as a fan, as someone who loved movies as a child. I loved villains who enjoyed themselves.”
While talking about the 2011 film Thor, Hiddleston revealed that they took several takes of a shot, as he tried to emulate different actors. “We did the Peter O’Toole take, which wasn’t an impersonation of Peter O’Toole but it was a tribute to his sincerity and vulnerability in films like The Lion in Winter. And then a Jack Nicholson take, where I was having the most fun in the room. And then a Clint Eastwood take, where whatever I was feeling would be hidden deep within me and you wouldn’t be able to see it,” said the actor.
Tom Hiddleston will now be returning as Loki in Avengers Doomsday, which is set to release on December 18. At the end of Loki season 2, the god of mischief had risen up to become the god of time, which means he is going to play an important part in the upcoming movies.
