His take on the character is more in line with Cumberbatch’s expressive Hamlet than, say, Andrew Scott’s understated one in Robert Icke’s acclaimed production (whose West End transfer has just ended).
However, arguably, Hiddleston never quite gets under the skin of the character. His soliloquies, with their sometimes unvarying intonation, can feel too much like beautifully acted words rather than thoughts and feelings experienced by the character, here and now. What he lacks in instinctiveness, though, he makes up for in self-assurance.
Meanwhile, he is at his most affecting in the “Get thee to a nunnery” scene when his anger is undercut by a tenderness that is heartbreaking. Moments like this suggest that this is a performance that could grow deeper and deeper; it’s just a shame that it only has three weeks to do so - but you wouldn’t bet against Hiddleston returning to the role in a more public forum.
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