as a child, i could never name any of my favorite things. upon moving into the new house, the room i shared with my sister was a dusty purple, so purple became my favorite color for the next fifteen years. even when we repainted the whole house, my room remained unchanged save for a layer of airbrushed paint only one shade darker than the original lilac.
i knew the things that i didn't like, though. i could tell you how i would only eat spaghetti noodles because the tomato sauce made my stomach twist. or i could explain my distaste for the ice cream flavor "rocky road" or anything papaya flavored. still, i considered myself at the ripe age of eight years old to be very adaptable. sure i liked grapes and mangos and pizza and pozole and disney princesses and barbies and hannah montana and a beautiful spring day and christmas presents and swinging so hard i feared for my life, but none of that was special to me, none of it was my favorite.
when asked, i would clam up and begin the mental list of what i liked. i would say "my favorite food is pizza" and ultimately add, "but i also really like chicken noodle soup" before continuing to pass impartial judgment on the marvels of food all around. the idea of a favorite something probably never really registered in my little mind that was used to never getting her way. my mom's desire to show us the real world as children wouldn't allow it. so my favorites ended up becoming a list of things i just didn't hate.
this idea changed, though, when i began mentally exploring a tradition left with my family's ancestors.
i remember learning about dia de los muertos in the movies made and the classes i took. but one day, as i talked to my sister, we came across what food items we would lay out for our parents on their ofrendas. this inevitably turned the conversation inward so i asked her what she would put on mine and she said: white nectarines.
Tom Hiddleston Q&A for 'Loki' | SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversation (2023. nov. 21.)
Tom Hiddleston ('Thor', 'The Night Manager') shares stories from 'Loki.' Moderated by Erik Davis. This interview is part of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversions series, an essential resource for actors, filmmakers, and students of discussions with performers, exploring the process and profession of acting.