Evening Standard Magazine: Faking Bad (2013)

October 18, 2013:

Tom Hiddleston joined Richard Godwin for a romantic boat ride interview as a part of the run up to Thor: The Dark World. 

"So here we are, Tom Hiddleston and me, in a boat in the middle of the Serpentine as the sun sets on a lovely autumn evening. He is doing the rowing. ‘Shall we turn the boat around?’ the star of Thorand War Horse says as we reach the bridge. ‘I want to go downstream, show you how fast I can really go!’ It’s almost embarrassingly romantic. If this were a date, I’d probably make my move right about… now. He has already told me he is single. He pauses from rowing to dab a bead of sweat from his curls, the handsome bastard."

During the interview they talked about Tom's family, fears, and progression as an actor. You can read the full interview here but I highlighted some of the best passages below. 

 ‘I’ve got to be honest. Loki is the thing that has opened me up beyond audiences who come to the Donmar. I’ve had a riot playing him. If you’re going to be a god, you may as well be the god of mischief, right?’

‘This is going to sound really wanky, but because Kenneth Branagh and I are both such lovers of Shakespeare, we made Loki out of Shakespearean characters... we talked about King Lear, with its two brothers; we talked about Macbeth and his ambition; and we talked about Iago, the way he spins every situation for self-interest…’

Tom on whether he would ever direct: 'One day, yes, not now, I’m not sure I’m ready. But I don’t know if one ever is.’ 

‘I was always concerned about wasting time. I don’t ever want to look back and think: “Why wasn’t I doing something or making something?” I used to read obituaries obsessively. They always started with a birth date and maybe the county where the subject was raised — and then the life would start at 25. What happened to those 25 legitimate years of good living time?’

‘People are formed by love and loss. By family, friendship, grief and courage… and failure and heartbreak and fun and all the things that make life colourful and interesting. But the narratives that people then form out of all that colour and interests are always so neat. It’s all chaos.’

‘Most people are running towards what they want to be and running away from who they are. The narrower that gap, the happier you are. Does that make sense? My point is that no one wants to be judged for who they are.’

‘I’ve been blessed with an extraordinary education. I feel privileged and I know I’ve had an enormously pleasant life. But it also has its complexity. I’d love to round out the rosy picture with some shade that would give you some more detail, but it’s not my past. I feel like baring that in public would be ungracious. And anyway, we’re in the present. Look at what’s in front of you.’

For the piece, Tomo Brejc photographed Tom Hiddleston around London in places such as the Dorchester Hotel and Paul Mall Barbers. 

Berluti leather coat (£4,970), Acne Studios suit jacket (£500), Bottega Veneta cashmere sweater (£650). and Acne Studios suit trousers (£250). 

Dsquared shirt (£235), Prada kid mohair wool trousers (£445), and Mulberry leather belt (£195).

Bottega Veneta shirt (£405), Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Watch (£3,420)

Gucci jacket (£1,040), John Smedley Pembroke pullover (£120), and Hardy Amies Cambridge glasses (£270).

Here are some outtakes that unfortunately didn't make the final magazine edit. 

Here's a bts picture from the photoshoot. 

On set styling was done by Anish Patel with fashion assistant Jess Wright. Grooming was done by Amanda Grossman using Nip+Man. 

Credits: 

Evening Standard 
Tomo Brejc
Richard Godwin
Paul Mall Barbers