Tom Hiddleston On Stage Return In CORIOLANUS & THOR's Shakespeare Roots

Internationally recognized screen superstar Tom Hiddleston takes a break from his string of mega-successful Marvel universe franchise films - THE AVENGERS, THOR and THOR: THE DARK WORLD among them - to star in the new production of William Shakespeare's searing political drama CORIOLANUS in London's West End and he discusses his various roles onstage and onscreen as part of a new interview.

"Australia, Korea, China, London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles. Cut! Door closed. Done. On to the next," Hiddleston amusingly recounts of his whirlwind schedule just prior to arriving in London for CORIOLANUS rehearsals.

As for comments on his meta-theatrical appearance in character as Loki at 2013's Comic Con, the affable actor says, "What can I say? I just can't say no. I'm basically a circus bear."

Additionally, Hiddleston reveals that he and fellow stage stalwart Kenneth Branagh fashioned the onscreen persona of THOR taking from Shakespeare.

"We made Loki out of Shakespearean characters," Hiddleston asserts.

Furthermore, Hiddleston says, "We talked about King Lear with its two brothers, Macbeth with his ambition, the way Iago spins every situation for self-interest. In every possible way, Kenneth Branagh has been my inspiration; there is no way that I would be where I am now without him."

Additionally, of CORIOLANUS, Hiddleston eloquently states, "There's love, generosity, hope, kindness, laughter and all the good stuff. And then there's grief, hatred, jealousy and pain. The way I see it, life is about trying to get to a place where you feel happy with the chords that you are playing. I'm lucky because I can experiment with all the different notes, via my work. And when I hit the right notes, I like to think that I'm conveying some sort of truth. That's what, in my dreams, I'm hoping to do with Coriolanus; at its absolute best, a play like that can unite its audience. They can go into the theatre as strangers and leave as a group, having understood and been through something important together. If I am somehow contributing to that then surely my work is of some consequence."

Check out the original article on the matter here.