This time last year, I didn’t get it. The world’s obsession with Tom Hiddleston. Sure, he played Loki brilliantly in Thor and the Avengers. I’ve always been fascinated by Loki and it was great to see him played as the tortured son/brother he is. But as far as Tom goes, I’d actually never seen anything else he’s done (and still haven’t, sadly) and didn’t understand the level of devotion and adoration he was receiving just based on that role.
But then I saw his panel at Nerd HQ. It was one of the few high demand panels I was actually able to score tickets to. My roommate really really wanted to go, and, honestly, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And then I got it.
For starters, he’s way more handsome (in my opinion) with short hair and the cleaned up look. As much as I love Loki and thought the wardrobe/hair/makeup departments did a perfect job, it left me baffled by all of the “dreamboat” adoration from fans. My superficial analysis was brief, though, as he started talking and I was blown away. Yes, he’s smart. Yes, he can quote Shakespeare from memory and speak French and several other languages (presumably) fluently. But the thing that struck me the most was how he carried himself, and how he responded to each fan. He listened intently to each question, graciously honored each request, and responded with thoughtfulness and delight. This was someone who loved being able to just sit and have a chat with his fans, and had fun doing it. And for that he earned my respect. Like, mad respect.
Fast forward to a few months ago, and my friend, who is a long time Hiddlestoner, sends me a link to a Buzzfeed article called “29 Reasons We Fell In Love With Tom Hiddleston in 2013.” As one who didn’t get it until 2013, I was naturally curious. #6 is a video of him showing up at a Thor: The Dark World screening in Times Square, and I thought “wow, this guy is pretty awesome!” Then I got to #8 and I cried. #8 is a video of him singing “Happy Birthday” to a fan in Sydney who came to his signing. Beyond his talent, beyond his charm, beyond his charity work, this makes me adore the man more than anything else. The entire interaction takes less than a minute, but you can see on his face how happy he is to sing for her, and then unprompted gets up and gives her a hug and takes a photo. I just imagine him thinking that he may be making her day, or week, or month, or year, or even beyond. He realizes the impact he has on people, and the thought of being able to make someone happy through just a simple gesture delights him.
This, folks, is what celebrity is about. Not fame, not money, not influencing fashion trends or forcing your idealism on impressionable people. Tom has a great appreciation for life, and for the position he’s been given. And there’s no question that he uses his status to give back in the attempt to make the world a better place. I love that. I love him. I want a million more people like him (Fortunately there are several others like him, but that’s another story of adoration for another time). So say what you will, but I am now onboard the Tom Hiddleston train. I hope he never stops loving the world, because it’s a much lovelier place with him in it.