Tom Hiddleston took some time away from acting so he didn't "lose himself"

Speaking to Empire magazine, he said: "A few things crossed my path and I thought carefully about them, but they didn’t feel quite right, so I didn’t do them. I'd been playing so many different people in so many different parts of the world, and it’s very important to distinguish what’s real in one’s own life, and look after those things. Because if you don’t look after them, they can be lost, or they can be marginalised, and then you come home one day and they’re not there anymore."

Meanwhile, Tom previously admitted he has learned to “let go” of the negative things his critics say about him as he knows they aren’t “based in any reality”.

He said: "It's not possible, and nor should it be possible, to control what anyone thinks about you. Especially if it's not based in any, um ... if it's not based in any reality. [I’ve learned] to let go of the energy that comes toward me, be it good or bad. Because naturally in the early days I took responsibility for it.”

And now, the Hollywood actor says he’s become more “protective” over his personal life.

He added: "And yes, I'm protective about my internal world now in probably a different way. That’s because I didn't realise it needed protecting before."