The actor noted that he “consciously carried” Jack Nicholson’s version of the Joker in his mind when shooting the first “Thor” film.

Tom Hiddleston says Tim Burton’s Batman inspired him to play Loki

The actor noted that he "consciously carried" Jack Nicholson's version of the Joker in his mind when shooting the first "Thor" film.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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January 19, 2026 10:00 p.m. ET

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Tom Hiddleston as Loki in 'Thor Ragnarok;' Jack Nicholson as The Joker in 'Batman'. Credit:

Marvel Studios; Warner Bros/courtesy Everett

Tom Hiddleston has revealed it was actually a DC supervillain who inspired his Marvel career. **

The Golden Globe-winning actor, who has starred as Loki across multiple Marvel films and television shows over the last 15 years, explained that he likely wouldn’t have played everyone’s favorite God of Mischief had he not watched Tim Burton’s *Batman*. **

“Truthfully, I don’t think I would’ve played Loki without that film,” Hiddleston said on a recent episode of the *Happy Sad Confused* podcast. “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.”

Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Marvel Studios

He continued, “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.”**

He went on to credit Nicholson with being a huge inspiration behind his take on Loki when first stepping into the role. “I think, probably, when I came to play Loki for the first film, I consciously carried Jack Nicholson in mind,” he added.

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Hiddleston previously praised Nicholson’s Joker in a 2013 interview with ** all about the classic villains who inspired his complicated character. **

“I’m standing on the shoulders of the villains I loved as a child and take my hat off to,” he said at the time. “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.”

He added, “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.”

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While speaking on the *Happy Sad Confused *podcast, Hiddleston explained that he and *Thor* director Kenneth Branagh would often experiment on the set of the first film by shooting multiple versions of Loki’s scenes in the style of different actors like Nicholson.**

“We did the Peter O’Toole take, which wasn’t an impersonation of Peter O’Toole but it was a tribute to his sincerity and vulnerability in films like *The Lion in Winter,*” he said. “And then a Jack Nicholson take, where I was having the most fun in the room. And then a Clint Eastwood take, where whatever I was feeling would be hidden deep within me and you wouldn’t be able to see it.”

He explained the multiple versions gave Branagh “different flavors of things in the edit” to properly showcase Loki’s multi-faceted personality. **

Hiddleston is next set to return to the MCU in *Avengers: Doomsday*. His character was last seen at the end of *Loki* season 2, where he became the God of Time and is currently tasked with holding the entire multiverse together. No pressure!**

Watch Hiddleston discuss *Batman* and Loki in the clip above.

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Source: “EW Marvel”