Tom Hiddleston Reflects on Past ‘Scrutiny’ and How He Overcame Being a ‘People Pleaser’ in His 20s
- - Tom Hiddleston Reflects on Past ‘Scrutiny’ and How He Overcame Being a ‘People Pleaser’ in His 20s
Jack SmartDecember 31, 2025 at 1:50 AM
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Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Tom Hiddleston at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London, England on Nov. 18 -
Tom Hiddleston opened up to British GQ in a recent interview about his upcoming projects, including The Night Manager and Avengers: Doomsday
The British actor recalled a moment early in his career when he resolved to “try not to be such a people pleaser”
The Loki star also described a recent “perfect night” with partner Zawe Ashton, with whom he recently welcomed their second child
Tom Hiddleston is reflecting on the “transformative” journey of his personal growth.
“When I was a young man, I was constantly doing what I've been told to do. I got myself twisted in all kinds of knots, both personally and professionally,” the Loki star, 44, recalled to British GQ in a recent interview.
“Eventually I was like: Tom, get a grip,” he continued. “Go towards what interests you and motivates you. Get rid of people who don't make you feel good, who embarrass you or make you do things you don't want to do. Try not to be such a people pleaser and see where you end up.”
That moment, said Hiddleston, came years before his Golden Globe-winning breakout role in BBC One drama The Night Manager, which aired its first season in 2016 and will launch a second season in January (episodes debut stateside on Prime Video on Jan. 11). At age 27 amid audition rejections, he recalled confronting “a lot of stuff in my life, and the confrontation was really challenging and painful, but transformative.”
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Tom Hiddleston at the London, England premiere of 'The Night Manager' Season 2 on Dec. 10
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Hiddleston also addressed navigating the spotlight for the first time in the age of social media and tabloid headlines (the Avengers star briefly dated Taylor Swift in 2016), saying, “I'm really grateful for that scrutiny in some way because it generated inside me a real self discipline and rigour to [accept that] everyone's entitled to their opinion.”
But, he added, “you have to be really disciplined about your own opinion of yourself… That will keep you safe in the choppy waters.”
These days, Hiddleston is finding joy in simplicity, telling British GQ about returning home to partner Zawe Ashton after he faced grueling conditions filming the Mount Everest biopic Tenzing. The pair of actors, who met while costarring in the 2019 play Betrayal, welcomed their firstborn in October 2022 and second baby recently.
Karwai Tang/WireImage
Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton at the SXSW London premiere of Life Of Chuck' on June 7
The couple’s “perfect night,” Hiddleston said, involved reading the paper and watching the US Open. “Dog on my lap. Everyone's here! I was feeling so happy to be together, to be the pack,” he said. “I love my ordinary life and I like the part of myself that’s really ordinary.”
In addition to Tenzing and the return of The Night Manager, Hiddleston’s upcoming projects include reprising his role as Loki in Avengers: Doomsday (in theaters Dec. 18, 2026). “My contribution has been contributed,” he teased of the continuation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “It is monumental… It just has never been done before.
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