Tom Hiddleston celebrates Emmy nomination with Thor fight scene

Tom Hiddleston, the Emmy-nominated star of The Night Manager, somehow still manages to be eloquent at 4 a.m. That’s how early it was in Australia, where he’s shooting Thor: Ragnarok, when he spoke to EW about the honor — one he shares with costars Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman. Hiddleston shared some of his feelings about the announcement and teased a bit of what Marvel fans can expect when Loki returns to theaters next fall.

Today’s got to be an exciting one for you.

It is a great day. It’s fantastic. It really is the best news. It’s very early in the morning on Friday for me in Australia. I’m in the Gold Coast in Queensland on Thor: Ragnarok, the third Thor film, and I wasn’t expecting it at all. I never like to have any expectations, but it feels like the most thrilling and heartwarming affirmation for the team, the whole of The Night Manager, for Susanne Bier, for Hugh Laurie, for Olivia Colman, and Simon and Stephen Cornwell and Stephen Garrett, all of our producers. It’s very heartwarming. It’s a great feeling that everyone’s up there.

What did it mean for you to get nominated for this part in particular?

I loved playing The Night Manager, and I’m so proud of The Night Manager. It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my short life as an actor. Jonathan Pine was such a fascinating prospect, a highly skilled individual with a romantic spirit and a referential and broken heart. That combination was so fascinating. He was inspired by moral courage to do something very brave for the greater good, which is surrender his identity and risk everything to take down someone who he believes is an evil man, and I get so moved by the story. It’s so brilliantly put together by le Carré as a piece of storytelling, and we tried to honor that with our adaptation. But I digress because it’s 4 in the morning. [Laughs.] The point is that it’s very humbling and a huge honor because it was an enormous undertaking personally for me. I poured my whole soul into Jonathan Pine, and I’m so proud that it’s been nominated.

There was some talk about The Night Manager possibly continuing. Where did that conversation leave off?

Truthfully, I think it is still in the lap of le Carré himself. I think we’re all aware that there is an appetite for more, but it really lies with the author, as it should, and if he can see a way for them to continue in a framework that fits his original conception. That’s all I know for now.

So are you celebrating today or just getting beat up by a Hemsworth for 12 hours?

I’m going to sleep for a bit, and then yes, I’m going to go onto set. It is actually a fight day tomorrow. I don’t think I’m fighting specifically him, however. Spoiler alert! But that’s all I will tell you.

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How long have you been shooting?

I’ve been here for 10 days. We’re really just at the beginning. I think they officially started filming just last week. It’s great. I’m having such a good time. Taika Waititi is brilliant, and his vision for his Thor film is so full of wit and humor and drama. He’s really been so attentive over the screenplay. I’m so excited. It’s a hell of a cast. It’s got quite a lineup.

That’s an understatement.

[Laughs.] There are some heavy hitters in the lineup, and not everyone is here yet. It’s Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson, and myself. We’ve got some others coming. Thus far, it’s really fun. And also, it’s been three years since I’ve played. I think I last wore the costume at Comic-Con in 2013. It was 2012 when we wrapped The Dark World. It’s just been a long time, and to don the black hair and leather and all of Loki’s stuff is good fun.