Tom Hiddleston felt a "wash of relief" when he said goodbye to Loki

Asked how to say goodbye to a character he had played for so long, he told Anna Sawai for Variety's Actors on Actors series: "I just felt this wash of relief because it had been a very meaningful experience. That sense of ... the exhale."

And asked if he still carries the character with him, he added: "Always. It's changed the whole course of my life, no question."

Despite playing a god, Tom always viewed his alter ego as a "broken soul" who was "deeply damaged" and he has enjoyed being able to delve into his character's pain and use it in a positive way.

He explained: "I always saw Loki as a broken soul with a shattered heart, deeply damaged by the fact that he was unwanted. He's mischievous and playful on the surface, but it's masking all this pain.

"What I've loved about this series is tracing my way back to that vulnerable soul and healing that damage. Showing that pain can be transformed into courage and strength."

And the British star couldn't have been happier with his final line on the show, in which he said: "I know what I want. I know what kind of god I need to be - for you. For all of us."

Asked who thought of the words, he said: "Our brilliant directors found me and said, 'What do you think you might want to say?'

"I remembered at the end of 'Thor', the last thing he says is, 'I could have done it, Father - for you. For all of us.' It's full of need, desperation, yearning for acceptance and misguided intention. It's full of his own broken heart.

"I thought, 'I wonder if I should say that again?'

"But it has a completely different meaning, which is full of love, sacrifice, selflessness and generosity."

Read the full feature at https://variety.com/2024/awards/news/tom-hiddleston-anna-sawai-loki-shogun-1236021069/