Popcorn Taxi (2013)

October 8, 2013: 

Tom Hiddleston kicked off promotions for Thor: the Dark World in Australia with Popcorn Taxi. Popcorn Taxi is an film event where filmmakers and enthusiasts alike can meet, watch films, and discuss the film-making process with the filmmakers live. This event was held at Event Cinemas in Sydney. 

As always, I highly recommend actually taking time to listen to the interview. Tom always gives very insightful answers! But I highlighted some of the best quotes below. 

Part I:  Question Session With The Moderator 

(4:30) Tom on why he studied Classics: Simply because I was good at it. I think that's what you do when you're a kid, you do what you're good at... I genuinely loved the stories. The Greek epics, and their Roman inheritors, are full of Gods and monsters, and these huge stories of tragedy and fallibility and philosophy. That was the thrill for me reading about this ancient civilization who seemed to live at a deeper, louder pitch than I did. I found that very thrilling and always have actually. I kind of tend to bring that to bare in everything I do. I love big shapes, where huge characters rise and fall. 

(7:17) Tom on developing into an actor: Initially, it was definitely about performance. It was about making people laugh and entertaining people. And then, of course, as a teenager life becomes a lot more complex. Your curiosity about things changes. You become interested in the complexity and the ambiguity of things. At most schools in the world that kind of curiosity isn't indulged to its fullest degree because they want you to behave. "Sit down, behave, do your homework. get back in your box". Doing plays, it was like sanctioned. I could play all these amazing parts. Play lovers, and sons, grandfathers, all these kind of stories. And shout and scream and rage and laugh and cry and everyone would say "wow that's amazing". As opposed to, "shut up, sit down, do your homework, get back in your box"... It's a way of exploring life in someone else's shoes and also entertaining people of course. 

(9:15) Tom how he filters out roles: The little voice in my head says "Do you want to do it?" and I say Yeah! or Nah! That's basically it, it's as simple as that.

(11:37) Tom on the fear of failure: If I have one fear in my life it's a fear of wasting time. I don't want to look back at my life and think "God I wish I had done all of this stuff that I've always wanted to do" but I didn't do it because I was afraid or because someone was gonna take a pot shot at me or because I might fail. To me that is the greatest tragedy - to look back and say "I wish I had and I didn't". I think at a certain time I just refused to let that be a factor in anything. But I've always been a very passionate person. I've always been quite honest about what I love and what I don't as well. Believe me it's really easy for people to take pot shots at it.  Like at school. it's so easy for people to mock you because school is a place where being cool wins and being cool is being dispassionate, it's not caring. And if you don't care no one can touch you. But also you'll never do anything. 

(15:40) Tom on looking for the good in Loki: When you play a character you're having to study the psychology of someone who is made up in a different way to you. They have a different nurture. They have a different nature. To me that's the most interesting thing about the job - is excavating motivation and what people really want. That's the most interesting thing about life is the answer to that question - what do you want? ... His villainary, his bad guy credentials, come from an emotional heart break... He finds out that the narrative of his entire life is a lie... Because I started with that I love him. I see his pain. He's just some who's tipped over into the dark side. He's far gone in his desire for vengeance. 

(18:33) Tom on how much of his inner self did he bring to Loki: On one level there's not much of me in terms of the actual circumstances he finds himself in. I really am the son of my parents. I have two sisters and we're all a nice, proper family. It's all good! But the shapes of what he inhabits are mine. His tears are my tears. His joy and glee is mine. His anger is my anger... 

Part II: Fan Questions

(1:38) Tom on the possibility of directing: I would love to direct one day. Partly because I enjoy the whole process of it so much. I get fascinated by the nature of directing. It's kind of like assembling a 50,000 piece jigsaw puzzle of which maybe my performance is 100 pieces. There's so many elements that go into making a film in terms of cinematography and story telling, sound. I would love to be the man at whom at the buck stops because I have so many opinions, I'm such a fan. 

(6:44) Tom's advice for fans: Dance more! Smile all the time! Tell lots of jokes! {sarcastically} 

(10:57) Tom on if he would ever do a musical: Listen, I'd love to have a crack at it. Whether anyone would allow me that is a different question. I think really really good ones are few and far between. You think of the great musicals like Singing in the Rain and the era of Fred Astaire which is just dizzying...

(12:30) Tom on how stays level-headed with all the fame: I can't think of why you wouldn't be nice to people who are nice to you. It's an honest way to be. Why would anyone think they're better than anyone else? That blows my mind really. I am no better, or worse, than anyone in this room... I just get excited about things. 

(14:12) Tom on the last time he lost his temper: I lose my temper at the stupidest things. It's usually when people are being really officious. {he goes into a story about an air hostess and about cycling in London}

(16:30) A fan mentions that it's her birthday and Tom sings Happy Birthday to her. 

(17:80) Tom talking about what happened to Loki when he fell into the void between Thor 1 and the Avengers: I think he went to the worst place imaginable. He went to all of the darkest recesses of the universe. I'm sure he had several brushes with death. He ran into the shadiest characters you can find in the nine realms. I think he had to rely on his wits to protect himself. It was really, really, really unpleasant. I don't have any frame of reference for that except for imagining what it's like to be kidnapped by a terrorist cell or something and have to survive a very very frightening, precarious existence. Whatever is was - it was important when Loki came back for the Avengers that whatever compassion he had left was absolutely shriveled to a minimum because of the experience that he had. Harrowing and scarring for life in a way that Thor and Odin and Frigga find very, very difficult to understand. 

(21:45) Tom impersonates Owen Wilson as Loki 

(26:33) Was it hard to get back into character for Thor 2: No, it was really easy because he's like an old friend... 

October 9, 2013: 

Tom Hiddleston hosted a Thor: the Dark World Fan Event in Sydney. 150 lucky fans were able to receive an autograph and take a picture with Tom at the Kinokuniya store.

Fashion:

Tom Hiddleston wore a charcoal, peak lapel suit from Armani with Armani Chelsea boots for Popcorn Taxi and Emporio Armani for the Fan Event. Tom was wearing his Nike+ sportswatch at both events.

Credits: 

Popcorn Taxi
Kinokuniya Sydney
ABC 7