When it comes to breakthrough roles, Tom Hiddleston becoming Loki was one of Marvel’s best castings. Not only did Hiddleston graduate from indie films to blockbusters overnight, but he got to work with Anthony Hopkins. But even a two-time Oscar winner can get starstruck while filming a Marvel epic. Hiddleston admitted even Hopkins and other veterans occasionally fanboy out on the Marvel sets.
No matter how big a celebrity gets, there’s someone for them to geek out over. This happened to Tom Hiddleston while shooting Thor. But it wasn’t just him, as two-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins and Thor director Kenneth Branagh had the same feeling while on set. The Loki star revealed how he served as a bridge for the director and the Oscar winner’s reciprocal fanboying.
I remember that day that Loki finds out he’s adopted. And it’s a scene in the weapons vault. It was, really, just a very small scene in terms of its structure. On the day, Kenneth Branagh and Anthony Hopkins and I were there, and I was going, like, ‘My god, working with Kenneth Branagh and Anthony Hopkins!’ And I also remember them kind of not able to talk to each other about how much they admire each other, so they came to me which is quite sweet. Anthony Hopkins telling me how much he admired Kenneth Branagh and Kenneth Branagh saying how much he admired Anthony Hopkins. I felt like I was a vessel for their sheepishness about being able, to be honest about that. But it was a big day and big day of big emotion and I remember that became the anchor for the whole characterization.
The behind-the-scenes fanboying between all three was a weird juxtaposition against the emotional levity of Tom Hiddleston and Anthony Hopkins’ emotional scene. You wouldn’t think someone of Hopkins or Kenneth Branagh's caliber would still be starstruck at this point in their careers. But it was nice to know that both were comfortable enough with Hiddleston to share their mutual admiration.
During his GQ interview, the Loki star delved more into the dynamic on the set of the first Thor film. Despite Thor and Loki’s relationship souring on screen, Tom Hiddleston revealed he and Chris Hemsworth formed a friendship while filming the movie. Hiddleston mentioned he and Hemsworth could relate to the pressure of filming such a big-budget franchise. So Thor built bonds and mutual respect that still can be felt a decade later.
Knowing of Anthony Hopkins and Kenneth Branagh’s mutual fanboying made the two even more relatable. Tom Hiddleston’s story gave some insight into the mutual respect and admiration behind the scenes. That said, the Loki star carried that spirit into the Disney+ series. If you want to see Hopkins and Hiddleston’s emotional father-son scene, you can stream Thor on Disney+.
