The drunken night out that cost Tom Hiddleston his first shot at stardom: “You’ve got to learn one way or the other”
Anyone who had been following Tom Hiddleston’s career in the early 21st century might have been surprised when he landed a major role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Loki, the half-brother of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor.
While he’s become one of the most beloved actors in the MCU, Hiddleston’s previous work had primarily been in British period dramas and stage shows, coming right out of left field.
Surprisingly enough, Hiddleston ended up being one of the few villains in the MCU to feel like a fully fleshed-out character, as Loki transforms from a villain to an anti-hero, and then into an all-out goody guy in his appearances in the Thor and Avengers films.
Hiddleston’s performance was so acclaimed that he was briefly floated as a potential replacement for Daniel Craig as the next James Bond; while Hiddleston is now probably too old to be 007, he’s done more with his MCU role than anyone would have expected, as the Disney+ series Loki is perhaps the most acclaimed of the franchise’s television spinoffs.
Hiddleston only ended up getting the part of Loki because he had lost out on another role that could have been just as big – it was after partying with friends after one of them had finished a college exam that Hiddleston was slated to read for the role of Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Since he was out partying the night before the audition, Hiddleston said that he turned up without memorising any of the lines, distracted by a goddamn hangover, and of course, the casting director was far from impressed.
Hiddleston recalled, “She asked, ‘Why haven’t you learned it? This is going to be huge’… I said, ‘I got the script at 5 o’clock last night,’ which I’ve since learned is no excuse… You’ve got to learn one way or the other, but Orlando Bloom is Orlando Bloom… Who is to say I would have gotten it anyway?”
Bloom ended up earning the role of Will, and the first Pirates of the Caribbean film ended up becoming one of the most shocking blockbuster successes of the 21st century, and while there weren’t high expectations for what a film based on a Disney theme park ride would be, especially after the disaster of Eddie Murphy’s Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean proved that audiences were seeking the type of swashbuckling adventure that producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski had conceived of.
Hiddleston might have initially been cursing himself for missing out on the opportunity, but the success of Pirates of the Caribbean didn’t necessarily skyrocket Bloom to stardom – it was clearly Johnny Depp’s Oscar-nominated role as Captain Jack Sparrow that had resonated with audiences the most, and Bloom was only a small part of the occasion.
Bloom didn’t return for the fourth instalment in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which grossed over $1billion, briefly appearing in a cameo in the most recent film, Dead Men Tell No Tales, which was the lowest-grossing addition yet.
Comparatively, Hiddleston has managed to fruitfully expand his career beyond the MCU, earning a Primetime Emmy Award for his performance in The Night Manager and delivering acclaimed performances in The Life of Chuck and Crimson Peak.
