Tom Hiddleston on Victorian Sexuality in ‘Crimson Peak’

Though known for playing Loki, one of the best villain roles in recent memory, Tom Hiddleston has an old fashioned charm that leads you to believe he could have been a star in any era. That’s showcased quite heavily in the gothic horror film Crimson Peak. His character Thomas Sharpe has elements of a Jane Austen hero and Edward Rochester. In fact, much of the film pays homage to classic literature. The scenery seems plucked from an Edgar Allen Poe story and there are nods to Mary Shelley and Arthur Conan Doyle.

Set in 1901, the Guillermo del Toro directed Crimson Peak follows the dashing Thomas as he woos the defiant Edith (Mia Wasikowska) until she agrees to marry him and move into his family mansion. The two cohabitate with Thomas’ sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain), who guards her and her brother’s secrets to an unnerving degree. When Edith begins to encounter a ghostly presence, she is determined to uncover the house’s sinister history.

In my video interview with Hiddleston, he discusses playing a character that’s influenced by literary heroes and how Thomas’ relationship with Edith transforms him. The star also talked about how his studies of Classics at Cambridge and stage work came into play. For the actor, who has tackled the works of Shakespeare and Chekhov on the UK stage, the film felt like a departure.

By Justine Browning

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