Marina_from_Asgard says: You have just worked with some really great directors (Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen). Is there is another director you would like to work with?
How long have you got? I'm such a cinephile and movie lover that I see as much as I can, and the list is about as long as...it's very long. Christopher Nolan, Clint Eastwood, Paul Thomas Anderson, Jacques Audiard, Tim Burton, Joel and Ethan Coen, Nicolas Winding Refn, Tomas Alfredson... there are so many. Peter Weir too. Julian Schnabel. I'd love to work with someone whose visual sense is very different from mine, but as far as the list goes already, I'm the luckiest guy in the world.
wearegolden says: Is there any news about Winter's Tale? Loved the book and couldn't stop picturing you as Peter Lake.
I love that story too, and find it really really moving, and to be honest I don't know what's happening. That's the God's honest truth.
Hetherlynne says: What was it like having to work with so many different actors for The Avengers, and did you ever play some Loki-spirited pranks on them?
It was really fun to work with all of those guys. They each have such specific talents, and I always liken acting to playing tennis. The rally that you play with a new partner is completely different, and no, it's a $300m movie, and I probably would have been fired for playing the prankster!
wingedhelm says: So Tom, I'm about to ask you two extremely serious and important questions. What is you favourite pudding? And how do you take your tea? As a fellow Brit, you know how important that last question is.
That's a huge question. My favourite pudding is a toss-up between cheesecake - proper, New York cheesecake - and apple crumble and custard. Custard is very important, or dark chocolate mousse. Tea: probably Earl Grey, splash of milk.
Lidy says: I haven't seen a better interpretation of a villain than Loki since the Joker. What inspired you to interpret your character?
Well, in the comics Loki has so many different faces, and the thing that inspired both myself and Ken Branagh was his mixture of emotional psychological complexity, and the speed of his mind. So you have somebody who's capable of thinking and strategizing at the speed of light, but underneath that is a deep well of pain that at any moment threatens to boil over.
Charlotte says: How would you sum up 2011 in four words?
A really big deal.
Albus Peach says: What is the worst "Thor" pun you've heard? Been to any "Loki" events recently?
I heard a limerick which goes something like this: “Thor's the god of thunder / he rides upon his filly / I'm Thor, he cried / His horse replied / Then get a thaddle, thilly!" which I think is basically... shocking.
JennyB says: You are so wonderful at impressions! Do you have a favorite that you've done?
When I was a child I used to do impressions of Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, played by George Sanders. I think he's probably my all-time favourite.
Well, I would never say I imitated anyone, because everybody has their own really distinctive personality, which comes out in the characters they play. The actors that I've been inspired by the most in the course of my life are Daniel Day Lewis, Al Pacino, Robert de Niro, Mark Ruffalo, Peter O'Toole, Anthony Hopkins, John Candy, though I could never possibly get close to his brilliance, Jeff Bridges, and I was a fan long before he played the Dude. I used to love The Fabulous Baker Boys and The Fisher King.
I think I need to reboot my impression. I think Al Pacino is my favourite. It's the bit when he's interviewing Hank Azaria's character in Heat. "Because she's got a GREAT *** - and you've got your head ALL THE WAY UP IT"
Carmen says: You've proven yourself to be one of the most expressive actors on screen recently. Which actors/actresses do you most look up to in terms of style?
What I find very impressive is when actors give a performance where I can't see the joins, and I really have no idea how they did it, how they achieved it. I felt that when I saw Michael Fassbender in Hunger and I watched Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood and marveled at his artistry. But at the same time, sometimes an actor can do very little and still be very moving, like Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland.
ILoveLoki says: Are you watching any TV shows at the moment? Do you have any you would recommend?
Sherlock's great. And back in the day I was a complete 24 addict. I used to buy box sets and I think I got as far as season 5 before I realised I hadn't seen daylight in a while.
Steven Samurai says: Today, Nick Hewer off The Apprentice became the Countdown host. How do you feel about this seminal moment in British pop culture?
I'm ashamed to say I've never seen The Apprentice. Nobody can beat Richard Whiteley.
kaleidoscopicmess says: What is the most absurd thing about you that's ever been published?
That I am married. Not true.
eibhlinbrennan says: What's your guilty pleasure? (crap tv? bonbons? anything?)
Really cheesy dance music from the 90s. Or a double-bill of Kindergarten Cop and Twins.
Blanche says: You are an amazing Loki, but I loved you also in theatre: Cymbeline, Othello, Ivanov. Will you return on stage? A hug from Pisa!
Thank you very much, Blanche. I'm so proud of those shows. They taught me so much about acting and Cymbeline, it sounds strange to say this, but that was where I found my mojo again. I can't wait to get back to the theatre. I'm just waiting for the right thing and the right time.
Jumbo Prawn says: If you could work with any directors who are no longer with us, which would you like to work with and why?
I'd love to work with David Lean. He's a master. Kubrick would have been interesting, more than interesting. And gotta be Charlie Chaplin.
wingedhelm says: Did you tell Chris Hemsworth that Home And Away was your favourite soap? Was it really Eastenders? Though I see you as more of a Corrie kind of man.
I suppose the one we all watched in my house was Neighbours. Sorry, Chris. But then I was kind of a later convert to Home & Away, and I still remember the theme tune, so I must have watched it for long enough. There was a day in Jotunheim when he was about to unleash the power of Mjolnir on some frost giants, and he heard a voice from behind him, "You know we belong together..." and it was out of tune.
Hannah Yeskel says: If you weren't an actor, what career would you like to try?
I'd love to be a cowboy. Sometimes I think I might give up the whole game and move to a ranch and herd cattle.
CapnPingu says: If you had your own horse, what would you name him? And why?
I don't know. I suppose when I met the horse, I would work out what I thought his name was. A bit like children I suppose. I always thought Balthazar was a pretty cool name for a horse though.
Melissa Rocha says: Is there anyone you'd like to play in a biopic?
Gene Wilder.
SuperEllen says: What was your favourite movie of 2011?
It's a toss-up between The Tree Of Life, Bridesmaids, Warrior, Drive and The Help.
Evil_Twin says: Seven people against one in the avengers... how is that fair?
I'm a god. Recalibrate your statistics.
Kamospam says: Would you consider yourself a cat or dog person?
I've been both, but save one very special cat, I'm a dog person.
Blink182010 says: Favourite film of all time?
Heat. Because it can withstand so many repeated viewings and every time I find something new in it. And I think De Niro and Pacino are both at the very height of their powers. That scene in the cafe, right at the centre of the film, is what acting's all about. High stakes and perfect understatement.
PhilBotto says: I've got to ask you about the incredible restaurant scene in the middle of Joanna Hogg's Archipelago. It's one of the most brilliantly observed, squirmingly awkward moments in recent years. Was that in the script or improv'ed?
It was in the script, but as with all Joanna Hogg's films - or both the ones I've worked on with her - the dialogue is unscripted, so it was absolutely planned that the family were incapable of deciding which table to sit down at in a completely empty restaurant, and also that the character of Cynthia is crushingly embarrassing in her public complaints to the chef about her undercooked guinea fowl.
dgribble says: When you threw Robert Downey Jr. out that window, were you still in character or enjoying every minute?
A mixture of both, dgribble, a mixture of both.
Philip73 says: My name means 'lover of horses' but I don't really get on with horses. Can you help? Do carrots work?
Philip, I think carrot is probably the wrong way in. There's an amazing scene in The Horse Whisperer where Robert Redford sits in the field for an entire day and waits for the horse to come to him. Maybe let the horse come to you? Have patience.
Arileli says: Do you have something to say to your fans, The Hiddlestoners?
You are amazing and I love you all.
Salmon Mousse says: Can we expect a War Horse 2?
Yes, it's called Peace Pony.
Thanks for your questions everybody. I hope that was edifying and moderately entertaining. So honoured to be here, thank you very much.