Here's Why Tom Hiddleston Doesn't Mind Nude Scenes and Being Considered a Hunk

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The screams of gathering paparazzi were muffled by overeager super fans who didn’t shy from yelling, “You’re so sexy!” the second 35-year-old English actor Tom Hiddleston arrived at the Tribeca Film Festival screening of his much-talked-about film High-Rise Wednesday night inside Manhattan’s SVA Theater. And who could blame them? Hiddleston arrived looking as dapper as ever in an oxblood-toned Dolce & Gabbana suit that fit like a glove.

“I tried it on and it reminded me of the ‘70s, and High-Rise is set in the ‘70s,” he told InStyle of the inspiration behind his movie-going getup. Hiddleston always delivers a look worthy of a top spot on anyone’s best dressed list, but there’s one outfit he confidently sports in the new film that we’re ogling to get a glimpse of: his birthday suit. The brief, fully nude moment, which you can see in the trailer (below), offers a peak at his chiseled body, but the star says baring it all for the cameras is no big deal.

“You don’t see anything more than you would see if you saw me walking along the beach wearing swimming trunks, but it’s important in the story in that in [J.G.] Ballard’s [the writer behind the same-titled book that inspired the film] writing of the novel, my character, Dr. Laing, moves into a high rise to get away from the entanglements of real life. He’s actually recovering from a family trauma and he’s looking forward to the anonymity and the clean, clinical space of his apartment,” he told us.

So what does that have to do with the must-watch scene? “The first thing he does is he takes his clothes off and he sunbathes in the nude. And then that piece is interrupted immediately and he is never naked again. His way of exercising control is to stay clothed,” he added. “He actually keeps his tie on until the very last moment, so thematically, it was important to do that. It’s always a slightly nerve-racking moment, but I understood it.”

It’s a bummer Hiddleston maintains a covered-up costume the rest of the film; however, that won’t stop the Crimson Peak and upcoming Kong: Skull Island actor from delivering his hunk factor. As for how he reacts to swooning fans, it’s all part of the job. “It’s very flattering… it’s funny. We all think that everyone else is sexier, everyone else is cooler. It’s something to do with the human condition. You can’t ever conceive that you might be seen as that way,” he quipped. “Anyway, I’m trying to take it as a compliment.”

Watch the trailer for High-Rise, also starring Sienna Miller and Luke Evans, above, and mark your calendars—it hits theaters on May 13.