Emmy Contender Q&As (2016)

AlbaMoretz Haziran 25, 2021

August 11-12, 2016:

Having recently been nominated for an Emmy, Tom Hiddleston jumped back on the promo trail for The Night Manager taking part in several Facebook Q&As. I highlighted some of the best quotes but I always recommend watching the full interviews yourself.

LA Times Q&A with Yvonne Villarreal

(2:30) How does it feel to win Rear of the Year? Sometimes the universe hands you something on a plate which you didn't expect, and for me it was the Rear of the Year award. I'm very proud. My parents are very proud.

(15:30) Tom on which persona is closest to who Pine really is: I think he's Jonathan Pine but I think what happens when he creates those other identities; Jack Linden or Thomas Quince or Andrew Birch, they bring out other aspects of his character. Andrew Bitch is very charming. He's an extrovert. He wears beautiful suits. He's the front man of the operation and that's what Roper wants. He wants this impeccably charming, charismatic, witty man to be his front man. But Pine has more edge I think, and he's more intelligent. I think Pine at the end of episode six is very different from the Pine you meet at the beginning of episode one.

(16:50) Do you think you could put your life on the line like Pine? I don't think I could. I think he does something extraordinarily brave, which is essentially to agree to sell his life away, to sell his identity... he surrenders his identity in service of this higher cause and that obligation means living without the privilege of intimate relationships, having no shoulder to cry on, no one to tell your story, no one to be intimate with in any way... I find that bravery and courage incredibly romantic. He chooses to live without the things that we all take for granted...

(20:00) Tom Hiddleston gives his version of the Jellyfish Incident with Tom Hollander.

Tom also played the game Instagram Filter or Marvel Character on the LA Times' Snapchat.

Variety Q&A with Jenelle Riley

(13:10) What is Pine's song? An actor has an emotional thing to do, which is literally living in a different space. Music is such an evocative form of expression and it takes you immediately to that place in your mind. As Pine I would listen to a lot of soundtracks. There's a track from Black Hawk Down called Ashes to Ashes... and also the score to Bourne Ultimatum.

(15:50) If Pine were in the Olympics what would be his sport? a middle distance runner

(16:30) What skill are you aching to develop? I do feel like that's the unspoken great privilege of actors is that they get to learn all this cool stuff with the excuse that it's for work... I don't know how to scuba dive.

(21:10) Tom on why his scene was cut from Age of Ultron: As they were testing the film, the initial audiences were like "Oh Loki's controlling Ultron"... they just thought it was confusing.

(22:50) Jenelle teaches Tom about snapchat

(28:00) Tom talks about exploring Vietnam and riding an angry bird with his Kong: Skull Island castmates.

(31:34) What's the hardest role you've ever played and why? Hank Williams no question. There was so much about that that was foreign territory for me. It was a 40s Alabama accent, extreme alcoholism, a musical talent that has become iconic in American culture, weight loss, the ferocity of the script, the self destructive instincts he had, singing, playing... all of those things were things I'd never really touched before.

(35:58) What's your favorite Shakespeare role? The thing about his writing is that it speaks to you at every stage of your life. So that when you're young you really empathize with the passion and rebelliousness of a character like Romeo or Hamlet but then as you get older you become more in touch with the more mature characters...

(39:40) What are you doing next? I don't officially know that yet.. I feel so genuinely grateful that I have been allowed to do so many different, various things. That's everything I dreamed of. When I became an actor almost 20 years ago now I dreamed of having a career which would involve lots of variety... That's probably what I'm trying to do next is find what's unexpected.

(43:00) Tom takes a quiz to determine which Marvel villain he is. *he's not Loki*

The Hollywood Reporter Q&A with Scott Feinberg

(2:38) What connection did Tom feel with Pine? I found his moral compass and his sense of courage very inspiring and moving. I think he's incredibly romantic. The idea that he's brave enough to stand up for something..

(14:26) What motivates you during your acting? The pure desire for the work to be as good as it can be. I care so much about it. I care so much about film and television. I feel like this job is the one I've always wanted to do. I feel so lucky that I get to do it. Once I'm on set I just want it to be the best it can be.

(17:00) What character from any book or film would you like to play? I used to have a list when I was younger of all the characters I dreamed of playing and the characters I've ended up playing have all been far more interesting than any of those. So I've since learned that there's no point in making lists or plans and you just sort of try to welcome the surprises as they come.

(19:15) What have you learned about the culture of celebrity? I've learned that there are many sides to a story, and that sometimes there are a lot of stories out there which are false and the hardest thing is to try to not let those falsehoods affect your own life.

(20:54) Do you have any aspirations to direct or write? If i'm allowed, I would love that. It's something I feel I don't have the hubris to jump into just yet. But my love for movies and television is: I'm interested in the bigger picture, and I feel that actors are a huge part of that but my passion really is for performance. I can't help it when I'm on set - I'm excited about the shots, where the camera is, and how the story's being told so yeah maybe one day. We'll see.

(21:45) When will we see you in a romcom or a comedy? I would love to do either of those things. I do think that a romcom is possibly one the hardest things to really get right because the best ones have a truthfulness about them... (his favorite romcom) Four Weddings and A Funeral and Pretty Woman.

(22:57) Who are your acting heroes? Marlon Brando, Daniel Day Lewis, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Alan Rickman, Anthony Hopkins.

Scott also refers to a podcast several times during the Q&A - you can listen to the Awards Chatter podcast with Tom Hiddleston here.

Deadline Q&A with Dominic Patten

(2:50) Tom on creating Pine: I'm fascinated by the multiplicity of identity. I think we contain multitudes... as a soldier and a night manager he is someone who has hidden behind the anonymity of uniform and what happens to Sophie in Episode One is something that challenges him to make a commitment, the kind of commitment he's never made... he has to acknowledge the side of himself that is dark. In order to move towards the light, he has to embrace his darkness.

(4:25) Tom on his evolution as an actor: I think I read in a different way in terms of looking into the future and what I want to do. I think about the projects I want to do in a different way. I'm not just looking for roles, I'm interested in what the entire piece says. I'm interested in the story and it's resonance in our contemporary world because I found The Night Manager so satisfying. It's raised the bar a bit for me.

(8:50) On a possible The Night Manager sequel: It's in the lap of Le Carre and his sons. I feel so connected to Pine and his predicament that I would be interested to see where he might go next. I think that it has a resonance with people who have served in high stress environments and the difficulty of re-adapting to come back into the world. That would be an interesting thing to explore.

(14:00) On I Saw the Light and performing for country music fans: People are very protective of Hank. He's an icon. He's a figurehead. He has become an emblem of something about America that people feel is very important, and authentically American. I had to get my hands in the dirt of that. I had to get my hands dirty, roll up my sleeves, and do the work... the relationship is very sacred in a live space. I think any performer with attest to that. There's something magical about the moment which is; we're all here in this one room and I'm gonna tell you a story. I might tell you in song, I might tell you in words but we're all in this room together. That chemistry is always electric and I was surprised to find it familiar.

Fashion:

For his interviews with the LA Times and Variety Tom Hiddleston wore a Gucci sweater (we also saw this during #RADAHamlet), Jbrand Tyler jeans, Aquatalia Ace boots, and London Sock Co Shaken and Stirred Socks (he additionally has worn this style in Mustard). Along with a Tissot watch.

For his interview with Deadline Tom wore his Polo Ralph Lauren suit - he also did his photoshoot with The Wrap on this day and in the same outfit. For his interview with Deadline Tom wore a Gucci Signoria wool suit which he also wore to the SAG-AFTRA Conversation.

These interviews were the first time we saw Tom Hiddleston wearing Gucci outside of photoshoots. It wouldn't be announced for another month but Tom had just signed on as the new face of the Gucci tailoring campaign.