Tom Hiddleston reveals he wanted to play Thor, not Loki

Would a Loki played by any other English actor be as dark and dastardly?

Tom Hiddleston revealed that Loki, nemesis of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, wasn’t his first choice. He originally auditioned for the role of Thor, he told Chelsea Handler on last night’s Chelsea Lately. Hiddleston even beefed up for the Thor try-outs, bulking up from 180 lbs. to 198 lbs., to which Handler replied, “I mean it was pretty stupid to do that before the audition.”

But try as he might, the hammer-wielding, prince of Asgard role just wasn’t meant to be. “They were always looking for Loki as well, and I think — the closer I got, they were like, ‘Actually, you should play the bad guy,'” he said.

Handler seemed more concerned with the actor’s bodily transformation and physical stats. Her assessment? “You’re good, everything’s good.” We concur.

Watch Hiddleston on Chelsea Lately below:

Thor: The Dark World hits theaters Nov. 8