Tom Hiddleston’s Charming Thank-You Email to Joss Whedon

Actor Tom Hiddleston has been stealing our hearts through his portrayal of trickster antihero Loki in the Thor and Avengers movies, and now we have even more irrefutable proof that he may be the most charming actor in the business. A year-old email exchange between Tom Hiddleston and director Joss Whedon has recently surfaced, in which Hiddleston writes a heartfelt thank-you to Whedon for the role of Loki and makes us love him even more.

Tom Hiddleston has already demonstrated his deep appreciation for the part he plays as Loki, and clearly loves the character just as much as us fans. At last year’s Comic-Con, for example, Hiddleston appeared in full costume to give an amazing speech as Loki, taking over the Hall and inspiring fans to cheer his name. Now, an email written by Hiddleston after reading the first draft of The Avengers script has appeared in a new biography titled Joss Whedon: The Biography (in stores August 1). Clearly, Hiddleston is just as much a fan boy as the rest of us, and his excitement practically bubbles over in his delightful thank-you to director and screenwriter Joss Whedon.

Business Insider published the full letter on Friday, July 25. Read it here:

Joss,

I am so excited I can hardly speak.

The first time I read it I grabbed at it like Charlie Bucket snatching for a golden ticket somewhere behind the chocolate in the wrapper of a Wonka Bar. I didn’t know where to start. Like a classic actor I jumped in looking for LOKI on every page, jumping back and forth, reading words in no particular order, utterances imprinting themselves like flash-cuts of newspaper headlines in my mind: “real menace”; “field of obeisance”; “discontented, nothing is enough”; “his smile is nothing but a glimpse of his skull”; “Puny god” …

… Thank you for writing me my Hans Gruber. But a Hans Gruber with super-magic powers. As played by James Mason … It’s high operatic villainy alongside detached throwaway tongue-in-cheek; plus the “real menace” and his closely guarded suitcase of pain. It’s grand and epic and majestic and poetic and lyrical and wicked and rich and badass and might possibly be the most gloriously fun part I’ve ever stared down the barrel of playing. It is just so juicy. 

I love how throughout you continue to put Loki on some kind of pedestal of regal magnificence and then consistently tear him down. He gets battered, punched, blasted, side-swiped, roared at, sent tumbling on his back, and every time he gets back up smiling, wickedly, never for a second losing his eloquence, style, wit, self-aggrandisement or grandeur, and you never send him up or deny him his real intelligence…. That he loves to make an entrance; that he has a taste for the grand gesture, the big speech, the spectacle. I might be biased, but I do feel as though you have written me the coolest part.

… But really I’m just sending you a transatlantic shout-out and fist-bump, things that traditionally British actors probably don’t do. It’s epic.

If Hiddleston’s description of Loki’s “closely guarded suitcase of pain” and his adorable British fist-bump aren’t enough for you, Whedon’s short but sweet response is equally fantastic:

Tom, this is one of those emails you keep forever. Thanks so much. It’s more articulate (and possibly longer) than the script. I couldn’t be more pleased at your reaction, but I’ll also tell you I’m still working on it … Thank you again. I’m so glad you’re pleased. Absurd fun to ensue.

Best, (including uncharacteristic fist bump), joss.

So there it is, yet another reason why Tom Hiddleston and Joss Whedon will always be some of our favorite people. Though this email exchange is clearly a highlight, check out Joss Whedon: The Biography for more insights into the process of filming The Avengers.