Tom Hiddleston Archives

Review: ‘The Life of Chuck,’ starring Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan and Jacob Tremblay

June 3, 2025

by Carla Hay

Annalise Basso and Tom Hiddleston in “The Life of Chuck” (Photo courtesy of Neon)

Directed by Mike Flanagan

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed city in the United States, the dramatic film “The Life of Chuck” (based on the 2020 short story of the same name) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans and Latin people) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: The life of accountant Charles “Chuck” Krantz is shown in various stages, before and during an apocalypse.

Culture Audience: “The Life of Chuck” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and are interested in unusual dramas about living life to the fullest.

Mia Sara, Mark Hamill and Cody Flanagan in “The Life of Chuck” (Photo courtesy of Neon)

“The Life of Chuck” is a unique, philosophical drama that shows gloom, doom, hope, and love via a biography of main character Charles “Chuck” Krantz. Tom Hiddleston is not in most of the movie. Benjamin Pajak gives a breakout performance. Hiddleston and Pajak portray the character of Chuck at different stages of Chuck’s life. The scenes of Chuck’s childhood have the most impact in the film.

Written and directed by Mike Flanagan, “The Life of Chuck” is based on a short story of the same name that was in Stephen King’s 2020 short story collection “If It Bleeds.” Even though horror master King authored the source material, “The Life of Chuck” is not a horror story, although there are scenes in the movie about an apocalypse and some supernatural elements. “The Life of Chuck” had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the People’s Choice Award, the festival’s top prize.

“The Life of Chuck” (which takes place in an unnamed U.S. city) is told in three acts, in reverse chronological order. Act Three, titled “Thanks Chuck,” shows what happens during an apocalypse and how the survivors keep seeing the signs, billboards and other things about Chuck. Act Two, titled “Buskers Forever,” is a glimpse into a day in the life of Chuck when he was 39 years old. Act Three, titled “I Contain Multitudes,” chronicles certain parts of Chuck’s childhood, from the ages of 7 to 17 years old.

Hiddleston portrays Chuck at 39 years old. Cody Flanagan has the role of Chuck at 7 years old. Pajak depicts Chuck from the ages of 10 to 12. Jacob Tremblay has the role of Chuck at age 17. All of them are convincing in portraying the evolution of Chuck. However, Pajak’s performance, as well as the movie’s “I Contain Multitudes” section, tie everything together will resonate the most with viewers. Nick Offerman is the voice of the movie’s unseen narrator.

The apocalyptic scenes are actually the most boring and most confusing of the movie. It’s shown in news reports that over a period of a little more than a year, Earth has experienced an environmental apocalypse that has killed millions of people. Many of these deaths are suicides. Some populated parts of the world have become giant sinkholes or has land that has sunk into oceans. Mass communication services, starting with the Internet, gradually stop working.

An English literature teacher named Marty Anderson (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), who works at a middle school, still wants to live his life as normally as he can, until he faces the reality that things will never be “normal” again for him and many other people. Marty tries to reconnect with his ex-wife Felicia Gordon (played by Karen Gillan), who works as a nurse in an emergency hospital room. Felicia sees firsthand several of the depressing deaths that have become common during this apocalypse.

Marty has brief conversations with various characters who have cameos in the movie. These characters who appear briefly in the story to talk with Marty include Gus (played by Matthew Lillard), a neighbor who works in utilities maintenance; Sam Yarborough (played by Carl Lumbly), a stranger whom Marty meets on a street; Josh (played by David Dastmalchian), a forlorn parent of one of Marty’s students; and Iris (played by Violet McGraw), a roller-skating adolescent who lives near Felicia.

Throughout this apocalypse, people see signs, billboards, video displays and even a message written in the sky that say “Charles Krantz. 39 Great Years, Thanks, Chuck!” A photo of Chuck is also part of these displays. No one seems to know who Chuck is. But there’s a clue about what’s going on when Marty and Felicia talk about what it would look like if the history of Earth had been condensed into one calendar year.

As an adult, Chuck meets a heartbroken young woman named Janice Halliday (played by Annalise Basso), who was recently dumped by an ex-boyfriend. Chuck and Janice share a memorable spontaneous dance on the street, as a drummer busker named Taylor Franck (played by the Pocket Queen, also known as Taylor Gordon) provides the music. The interaction between Chuck, Janice, and Taylor is a chance encounter between three strangers who find a brief respite to their personal troubles.

The childhood years of Chuck show his life after he became an orphan when he was about 7 years old. His parents and unborn baby sister were killed in a car accident. Chuck then went to live his grandfather Albie Krantz (played by Mark Hamill) and Sarah Krantz (played by Mia Sara), who are the parents of Chuck’s deceased father. Albie (who is an accountant) and Sarah (who inspires Chuck’s interest in dancing) are loving and supportive of each other and of Chuck.

Albie has one major strict rule for Chuck: The cupola room in their Victorian-style house is off-limits and cannot be opened. The room is padlocked from the outside. Albie has the key, but he won’t tell Chuck why Chuck is forbidden to go in the cupola room or even open the door. Meanwhile, lonely Chuck finds artistic passion and acceptance in an after-school dance class, where he impresses the dance teacher Miss Rohrbacher (played by Samantha Sloyan) and a fellow student named Cat McCoy (played by Trinity Jo-Li Bliss), who’s considered the best dancer in the class.

“The Life of Chuck” has many moments of mystery that will intrigue or frustrate viewers. There are huge parts of Chuck’s life that aren’t seen or explained. For example, his wife Virginia “Ginny” Krantz (played by Q’orianka Kilcher) and Brian Krantz (played by Antonio Raul Corbo) briefly appear in the movie, with only minimal hints of what Chuck was like as a husband and father. Some of “The Life of Chuck” tends to wander with subplots that don’t really lead anywhere. Other scenes in the movie are absolutely riveting and are the heart and soul of “The Life of Chuck.” Although part of the movie is about a deadly apocalypse, the ultimate message of the film is life-affirming and hopeful about humanity.

Neon will release “The Life of Chuck” in select U.S. cinemas on June 6, 2025, with an expansion to more U.S. cinemas on June 13, 2025. A sneak preview of the movie was shown in U.S. cinemas on June 2, 2025. UPDATE: “The Life of Chuck” will be re-released in U.S. cinemas for one night only on October 1, 2025.

Disney+ reveals plans for non-fiction programs; spinoff shows for Marvel, ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Monsters Inc.’ also in the works

April 10, 2019

by Carla Hay

Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen in "Captain America: Civil War" (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios) — Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen in “Captain America: Civil War” (Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios)

Disney+, the streaming service that will launch before the end of 2019, has finally revealed some shows that will be part of the Disney+ lineup. The launch date for Disney+ and the premieres for these shows are still to be announced.*

And although it hasn’t been official announced yet, several media outlets (including Variety) have reported that Disney+ will have several spinoff series about Marvel characters played by the same actors who played the characters in the Marvel movies. Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston), Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner), Falcon (played by Anthony Mackie), Winter Soldier (played by Sebastian Stan), Scarlet Witch (played by Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (played by Paul Bettany) will all have their own limited series.

There will also be spinoff shows for “Star Wars” and the animated film “Monsters Inc.” Disney owns Lucasfilm (the company behind the “Star Wars” franchise) and Pixar, the company behind several award-winning animated films such as “Monsters Inc.”

A scene from “The Mandalorian” (Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm)

“The Jungle Book” and “The Lion King” live-action director Jon Favreau is writing and directing the Disney+ “Star Wars” spinoff series, which is called “The Mandalorian.” In October 2018, Lucasfilm and StarsWars.com revealed this synopsis for “The Mandalorian”: “After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the ‘Star Wars’ universe. ‘The Mandalorian’ is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.” Directors for “The Mandalorian” include Dave Filoni, Deborah Chow, Rick Famuyiwa, Bryce Dallas Howard and Taika Waititi.

According to a press release, the Disney+ series “Monsters at Work” reunites the original voice cast of “Monsters Inc.” (John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Jennifer Tilly, John Ratzenberger and Bob Peterson), who will be joined by new cast members. The press release announces that the new characters are “Tylor Tuskmon (voiced by Ben Feldman), an eager and talented young mechanic on the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team (MIFT) who dreams of working his way up to the factory Laugh Floor to become a Jokester alongside his idols Mike and Sulley. Starring alongside Feldman is Kelly Marie Tran as Val Little, Tylor’s lifelong friend and confidante; Henry Winkler as Fritz, the scatterbrained boss; Lucas Neff as Duncan, an opportunistic plumber; Alanna Ubach as Cutter, the officious rule follower; and Stephen Stanton as Smitty and Needleman, the bumbling custodial team. Aisha Tyler (“Archer”) voices Tylor’s mom, Millie Tuskmon.” “Monsters at Work” is produced by Disney Television Animation, and the series was developed and is executive produced by Disney animation veteran Bobs Gannaway with Ferrell Barron serving as producer. Kat Good and Rob Gibbs are directors.

A scene from “Monsters Inc.” (Image courtesy of Pixar/Disney)

Disney’s acquisition of several Fox entertainment assets (including Fox Studios, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox 21 Television Studios, FX Networks and National Geographic Partners) means that Disney+ is also expected to have Fox-related content. There has also been speculation about what will happen to the Marvel series that were canceled by Netflix (“Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” “Luke Cage” “The Punisher” and “The Defenders”), although the explicit content of those Marvel shows (which would get an R rating if they were movies) might prohibit them from being on the family-oriented Disney+ streaming service. Since Disney now owns a majority stake in Hulu, the more adult-oriented Disney content could end up on Hulu.

According to Variety, Disney has signed a two-year deal with production group Supper Club, whose credits include the non-fiction projects “Chef’s Table” series on Netflix and the documentary films “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” and “13th.” Under the deal, Supper Club co-founders Brian McGinn, David Gelb and Jason Sterman will develop and executive produce non-fiction programs for Disney+ and other Disney-owned properties.

Kristen Bell (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Disney+ has announced these non-fiction shows, according to Variety:

“Be Our Chef,” hosted by Angela Kinsey, a cooking competition that pits diverse groups of families against each other for culinary showdowns at Walt Disney World. The show is produced by Eric Day and Mark Koops of INE Entertainment.
“Earthkeepers” (working title), a wildlife conservation show produced by Supper Club.
“Encore!,” hosted by Kristen Bell, a reality show that reunites cast members of high-school musicals. Jason Cohen created the show, whose executive producers are Cohen, Bell, Alycia Rossiter, Will Gluck, Richard Schwartz, Jim Roush and Chris Wagner.
“Cinema Relics: Iconic Art of the Movies” (working title), a documentary series that examines the costumes and props of famous Disney films, including “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Muppet Movie,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” and “Tron.” The show is produced by ABC Studios and executive produced by Jason Henry and Dan Lanigan.
“Marvel’s 616″ (working title), a pop-culture show produced by Supper Club and Marvel Digital.
“(Re)Connect,” a reality show that aims to reunite families who have been divided over a serious issue. The show’s executive producers are Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa and Albert Bianchini of Milojo Productions, and Julian P. Hobbs and Elli Hakami of Talos Films.
“Rogue Trip,” a non-fiction travel show that explores places off the beaten path from predictable tourist spots. Bob Woodruff and his son Mack Woodruff are show’s hosts, and will executive produce “Rogue Trip” with Jeanmarie Condon for Lincoln Square Productions.
“Shop Class” (working title), a reality competition where students of a shop class are tasked with making new inventions. The show’s executive producers are John Stevens and Spike Feresten of Hangar 56 Media and Richard Rawlings of Production Monkey
Walt Disney Imagineering documentary series (title to be announced), produced by Iwerks & Co. and directed by Leslie Iwerks.

*April 11, 2019 UPDATE: Disney+ has announced that its launch date is on Tuesday, November 12, 2019. The subscription rate is $6.99 (U.S. dollars) per month.

Tom Hiddleston backstage at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards

January 9, 2017

by Carla Hay

The 74th annual Golden Globe Awards took place on January 8, 2017, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.

TOM HIDDLESTON

Golden Globe win:

Best Actor in a Mini-Series or Television Film

(“The Night Manager”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hQIVbE6-Nk

Here is what this Golden Globe winner said backstage in the Golden Globe Awards press room.

Tom Hiddleston at the 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 8, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW

You filmed “The Night Manager” and “Thor: Ragnarok” in Australia. Do you pinch yourself knowing that you have these very different acting roles?

I do. I feel very lucky. When I became an actor, I wanted to move between genres and characters and never repeat myself or play the same thing twice. I have played Loki four times, but the idea that I’m allowed to play both Jonathan Pine and Loki and my character in “Kong: Skull Island,” which I was also in Australia for is truly everything I’ve always wished for is an actor, so I feel immensely fortunate.

How were you challenged in your “Night Manager” role? Did you feel you were challenged differently from your past roles?

Certainly. If you read the novel by John le Carré, it’s such a rich resource. And quite apart from being a master storyteller of espionage thrillers, John le Carré is it is a very curious student of British identity. And I think through Jonathan Pine, he’s trying to get underneath the skin of what it means to be English, how Englishness changes when were abroad, how it changes when we fight for our country, because Jonathan Pine is a former soldier, and also how it manifests in the character of Richard Roper who is an arms dealer to whom people are very drawn because Richard Roper is attractive and charismatic in and you like him, but he is deeply cynical. And I think that le Carré’s anger is that a man like Roper is an inheritor of the freedoms of British democracy but has chosen to the worst things imaginable.

With Pine, the challenge is he’s a spy. And spies dissemble and conceal and they have to be believable as they lie. And the nature of acting is always exploring identity but Pine is four different people he has to be believable in all his different guises. And that was fascinating for me to play different people with different names were different passports. So very different very new and very exciting.

At the beginning of the series, Pine is a night manager. How did “The Night Manager” director Susanne Bier talk to you about that character when we meet him at first?

Susanne and I talked a lot about uniform. Pine is a former soldier in our adaptation of the second Iraq War in 2003. And he has for reasons, perhaps known only to himself, hidden behind another uniform. He’s someone who feels comfortable behind the anonymity of service he was in military service now he’s in hotel service immensely capable, practical and resourceful.

And I think in the first episode he commits he put his heart on the line and he’s broken-hearted. And that is the thing that challenges him to do something to come out behind the uniform and stand up for something more. And I had a fascinating time. I did a night as a night manager at the Rosewood Hotel in London. And it’s all theater.

Staying in hotels since then has been a different experience because everything is immaculately managed to make the guests feel welcome. Of course, if you’re doing it well, they don’t see the work, which is very like acting. But yeah that we talked about service and putting other people before yourself because that’s what the uniform demands.

You’re so good at playing the bad guy now. When you read the script do you ever feel bad? How is it to be the bad guy?

I haven’t played the bad guy for a while. I just finished “Thor Ragnarok” in which I’m Loki again, but mercifully the bad boy pants who passed on to Cate Blanchett this time around who’s playing the goddess of death, which is significantly more bad than the god of mischief, I think in the bad-boy stakes. I do think about what the film is transmitting about people and about character and recently I’ve played people who might be construed as protagonist, as opposed to antagonists.

But with Loki, specifically, who’s the most out-and-out villain I’ve played, it always try to see to be compassionate to his point of view, and that’s how I think you get an honest performance. But I understand that at the end of Avengers he has to get Hulk-Smashed, and he has to go down.

There is a photo of you and Carrie Fisher at the White House Correspondents Dinner. How did you feel when she passed away?

Carrie Fisher was such a fighter, and I spent one evening with her in Washington last summer at the White House Correspondents Dinner as a guest of The Guardian newspaper. And she had this indomitable spirit that was bigger than the occasion. She was such a force for life and I think if we could take anything a lesson from there it’s just it’s to live as fully as we can, to embrace our weaknesses and that very act makes them become strengths.

And she was so funny. She insisted that when we were there she was looking after her dog Gary, and I was looking after Gary’s rubber duck which was a rubber duck of Princess Leia. So I felt in the presence of the outgoing president of the United States, it was only appropriate that they have a Princess Leia rubber duck in train because of Carrie’s contribution.