Tom Hiddleston shares the unusual way he learned that Loki season 1 was a hit during production on another series. Having become a firm fan favorite within the MCU, Loki's unfortunate demise in the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War came as a blow to many. Therefore, news that Loki would be joining Marvel's ever-expanding TV series lineup, which stream exclusively on Disney+, was welcomed by many. The series followed Loki's adventures after being captured by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and set an entirely new tone for the MCU moving forward.
Following the enormous success of WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki went on to secure the top spot as the most-watched Marvel Studios series on Disney+. Loki continued to hold onto that title despite the recent releases of much-anticipated fellow Marvel series such as Hawkeye and Moon Knight. The series saw Hiddleston return to reprise his role as the beloved God of Mischief, however, this time the star was joined by the likes of Sophia Di Martino, Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jonathan Majors, and Richard E. Grant.
While speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live recently, Hiddleston revealed the rather unique way that he discovered Loki season 1 was a hit. The actor discussed how he'd been in production for his new series, The Essex Serpent, during the time when Loki was in the midst of its weekly release on Disney+. Hiddleston shared how after each episode, he would be subjected to questioning by the crew, including one of his younger co-stars who Hiddleston says took some time to come around to the fact he wasn't actually Loki in real life. Check out Hiddleston's full quote below.
"It's really interesting, cause we were still in a lockdown in the UK, we were still kind of restricted and I was making this other show, The Essex Serpent. And, that was really… I kind of got a sense of it because every Thursday, the show went out on a Wednesday night, and every Thursday morning, the crew would be kind of keenly asking me questions like, you know, I'd be getting mic’d up in the morning and they’d be like, okay, the TVA are they're the good guys or are they the bad guys? And I thought it was so unusual to be having these responses in real time. And there’s a really brilliant young actor called Ryan Reffell, who was playing my son in The Essex Serpent and I think it took him a few weeks to get around the fact that I wasn't actually Loki. And every time, every week we had to have a full debrief about what had happened the night before, like "okay, right, cause of Endgame and you picked up the cube and now you’re in the TVA, I know who they are. I'm not sure if I had the good guys or not, but, looked pretty tough. And you're not really dead, well you are on the other timeline, but not in this timeline. So where does it go?" And I was like, well, Ryan, I can't tell you. You’ll have to just wait and see."
Not only was Loki season 1 a ratings mega-hit, but the show played a pivotal role in helping to establish the concept of the multiverse, which now looks to become a central theme as the MCU continues to progress through Phase 4. Loki introduced the concept of variants, which was most recently explored further in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The final moments of season 1 revealed that Loki would indeed return for season 2, with news later confirming that the whole of season 1's principal cast would also return. Filming on Loki season 2 is expected to officially commence in the coming weeks, with Marvel writer Michael Waldron recently revealing that season 2 will continue the emotional explorational of this much-loved character.
Hiddleston's story about realizing the enormous scope of Loki is certainly sweet, and the actor appeared to enjoy getting to discuss elements of the show with the crew, while still keeping certain secrets under wraps. The fan reception to series such as Loki only highlights the depth of admiration that people hold for this complicated character, and their desire to learn more and delve deeper into his ongoing story post-Infinity War. Hiddleston and the cast and crew behind Loki will most certainly be hoping to replicate season 1's success as they now begin production on the highly anticipated season 2.
Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live
