Actor Tom Hiddleston recently talked about how Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker in Batman ’89 inspired his take on Loki.
The MCU star discussed his inspiration on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast. Hiddleston mentioned how Nicholson’s Joker was so evil while also being so free and fun-loving. The Joker’s charismatic nature really struck a chord with Hiddleston.
“Truthfully, I don’t think I would’ve played Loki without that film. I think the way Jack Nicholson played the Joker was so… at the time in my life when I saw it, it made such an impact on my imagination. I understood he was the villain, but he was having such a good time — that could describe somebody else I know — and he was so charismatic and so inventive and so free.
Nicholson’s Joker Informed Tom Hiddleston’s Loki Performance
Not surprisingly, Hiddleston also credited the Joker as being a direct influence on how he played Loki.
“I think, probably, when I came to play Loki for the first film, I consciously carried Jack Nicholson in mind.”
When one watches Loki in the Thor or Avengers films, you can tell that Loki is having fun delighting in being mischievous. Yet at the same time, he can balance that evil charisma with emotions- particularly with Thor.
Nicholson’s Joker is not the only villain inspiration for Tom Hiddleston. In a 2013 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Hiddleston also cited other cinema’s greatest villains.
“I’m standing on the shoulders of the villains I loved as a child and take my hat off to. Jack Nicholson as The Joker in Tim Burton’s Batman, and I bow even lower for Alan Rickman in Die Hard and James Mason in North by Northwest. I mean, Alan Rickman, particularly in that film, was having such a good time and was so likeable. I guess it’s in my make up as a fan, as someone who loved movies as a child. I loved villains who enjoyed themselves.”
You can catch Hiddleston as Loki in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, coming December 18th.
