Kenneth Branagh knew it was the "start of something" when he first saw Tom Hiddleston act.
Sir Kenneth Branagh
Branagh - who cast Tom as Loki in 'Thor' - was incredibly impressed when he saw the 35-year-old actor in a Shakespeare play.
He said: "I saw Tom Hiddleston play Cassio in Michael Grandage's production of Othello, which starred Chiwetel Ejiofor and Ewan McGregor. I'd not seen him before, but it was quite clear that he was an utterly naturalistic speaker of Shakespeare.
"It's not necessarily a part in which you can score, Cassio - he is in many ways the relatively straightforward young man. But Tom made him so effortlessly charming and was so adept, adroit and invisibly easy with the language, that it did feel like it was the start of something. Even against those two [Ejiofor and McGregor], that boy really stood out."
And Kenneth was thrilled when Tom arrived to audition for Marvel movie 'Thor'.
He added to Digital Spy: "He auditioned with a clarity of purpose and a drive ... not arrogance, and not over-ambition, but he was just very clear - I felt like I was watching that process happen before my very eyes.
"And now I watch 'The Night Manager', almost 10 years on from that moment in the Donmar, and there is a star, now fully emerged."
Meanwhile, Tom previously admitted he feels "very lucky" to be an actor.
He said: "I apologise, unreservedly, first of all, for being everywhere. I'm sure it's deeply tiresome and nobody wants to ever see my face again.
"There's a strange coincidence in that the work of the last 18 months of my life has all been released at the same time. And for me, each piece of work has such integrity and focus. But it must seem different to be in the audience. I do feel very lucky that I'm allowed to do so many different things."
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