Telegraph: Not Just A Romeo (2008)

August 30, 2008: 

Tom Hiddleston was interviewed by the Telegraph's Ajesh Patalay for one of his first major profile pieces. 2008 was a pivotal year for Tom; he performed in Othello alongside Chiwetel Ejiofer and Ewan McGregor, won an Olivier Award for Best Newcomer in a Play, was chosen as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow, and had his "Hiddleston year" with Kenneth Branagh in Wallander and Ivanov (which turned into a Hiddleston decade). 

In the interview Tom Hiddleston talks about his hesitation to become an actor because "it seemed too mysterious and precarious a life to commit to." He finally made the decision to become an actor after acquiring an agent at Cambridge; "at that point I allowed myself to want to be an actor as much as I think I'd always wanted to be." After graduating, Tom went to RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) for more training so he wouldn't be typecasted: "I didn't want to just be the Brideshead guy, to spend the rest of my life wearing waistcoats. I got the chance to try everything. Not just Romeos, but pimps and grandfathers and even one roles as a woman in a Naomi Wallace play called Slaughter City." 

There also are some great quotes about Tom in the article: 

"Very talented, very charming, aristocratic hair." - a contemporary from RADA 

"Remember that name. One day that lad is going to be a star, and deservedly so." - A theatre critic after seeing Cymbeline. 

"Tom has a number of things that come very naturally to him. His height, his look, how he carries himself. Plus he has an exceptional ear for making language that is 450 years old sound alive, which is why I cast him in Othello. The reason he is in Ivanov is that I enjoyed working with him so much and found to my delight how astonishingly versatile he is. He is clearly one of our younger actors who is going places. But in his head he seems to be taking everything at a good pace. That's what I love about him." - Michael Grandage, the artistic director of Donmar Warehouse 2002-2012. 

Tom was photographed by Julieta Sans in London for the magazine. 

The title of the profile was Not Just A Romeo but coincidentally Tom Hiddleston did also play Romeo while a student at Cambridge. 

Credits: 

Telegraph
Julieta Sans
Cambridge Arts Theatre