‘Loki’ Behind the Scenes: Some MCU Fans Are Just Now Discovering Tom Hiddleston Wears a Wig in the MCU
Tom Hiddleston is already famous enough that he’s not defined solely by his work as Loki.
However, by being in the biggest franchise in movie history, his work on the Thor and Avengers films is forever intertwined with his work elsewhere. As such, it’s easy to picture the British actor in his full makeup. However, his iconic Loki look is not the whole story. If you ask Hiddleston, it’s merely a way to help him get into that specific character.
Loki: More than hair
When a Reddit user posted a picture of Hiddleston on the set of Loki, u/Jaygarrett1986 came to a startling realization. While Loki’s long, thin, jet black hair is a staple of the character, it’s not Hiddleston’s real hair. The overwhelmed Redditor was stunned, asking, “It’s a wig???,”
This kicked off a discussion about the evolution of Hiddleston’s do. Many pointed out that the actor, who has sported dark hair in other roles, naturally has light brown hair that sometimes leans toward the blonde. However, as many people know Hiddleston as Loki and Loki alone, they might assume that the hair they see on screen belongs to the actor.
Tom Hiddleston’s style
Hiddleston might not be an A-List star in the way that his on-screen brother, Chris Hemsworth, is, but he’s already shown the range to be something more than the average comic book actor. His long locks have become an iconic look thanks in large part to his ever-changing head of hair throughout the MCU. However, those who have seen him in other work know that Hiddleston is not the shaggy-haired devil that Loki is.
Hiddleston tends to keep his hair shorter and lighter. He is, as the Ringer noted, the man who was once rumored to be in line for the James Bond job. When Man of Many dissected his fashion sense, they noted that he keeps his hair kempt, light, and stylish. The fact that Hiddleston pulls it off is a testament to his abilities as an actor and chameleon. He’s a man who plays it smooth and sophisticated, just as well as the conniving villainy he shows as Loki.
For Hiddleston, however, Loki’s hair helps bring him into the Marvel world and give his best performance. Of course, being Hollywood, the journey toward Loki’s look is far more complicated than one might imagine.
Tom Hiddleston on hair
It’s easy to assume that actors walk onto a set and are immediately ready for the role. Still, the actual time it takes to arrive on a Marvel movie’s set can be frustratingly long. Hiddleston spoke about this long and arduous process in an interview with Games Radar.
“I had to go through two hours of hair and makeup every morning, which was a little testing at times,” he told the site. “I had dyed my hair black and it was a certain length, but it wasn’t as long as it needed to be. It took an hour to put on the wig and add in the extensions, and then the costume itself took about 45 minutes to get on. I needed assistance with it because there were so many belts, buckles and bootstraps”
However, while this might be more time than the average person thinks it would take to get such a look, according to Hiddleston, it helps Loki shine. Hiddleston’s hair isn’t the only change in appearance, however. The actor spoke about the other differences between him and the morally gray character he plays on screen.
“My eyes are naturally green and blue because I’m fair-skinned and blond – but when I’ve got black hair and pale skin, suddenly my eyes look really creepy. When you’re breathing life into a very different kind of character it’s helpful to know that you look very different,” he told Games Radar.
Whatever is behind his performance, Loki remains one of the MCU’s most beloved and reviled villains. A lot of this has to do with Hiddleston’s performance. While Loki’s long, dark mane may be canon, one can’t help but think that Hiddleston would have delivered a memorable performance in every movie regardless of the hair. Still, you can’t help but wonder what nuances he may have uncovered had the stylist gone in a different direction.
Audiences can see Hiddleston return to his iconic wig in Loki, which premieres in May as Disney Plus further expands the MCU into the television world in new and exciting ways.
