Tom Hiddleston is still dealing with the aftermath of his whirlwind romance with Taylor Swift.
Tom Hiddleston is still dealing with the aftermath of his whirlwind romance with Taylor Swift.
The 38-year-old British actor dated 29-year-old Swift for three months in 2016 before they split. Although it's been three years since the breakup, the relationship is brought up in a new interview with The New York Times about his Broadway debut in the play Betrayal -- which centers around the marriage of a man named Robert (Hiddleston), whose wife has an affair with his friend -- when the writer notes that a publicist asks that there be no questions about Swift. However, Hiddleston alludes to it.
"It's not possible, and nor should it be possible, to control what anyone thinks about you," he says. "Especially if it's not based in any, um ... if it's not based in any reality."
Hiddleston shares that now he's 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," he adds.
These days, the Avengers: Endgame star says he's learned to be more guarded when it comes to his personal life.
“And yes, I'm protective about my internal world now in probably a different way," he admits. "That's because I didn't realize it needed protecting before."
Still, he notes that being vulnerable is sometimes worth the risk.
"If you go through life without connecting to people, how much could you call that a life?" he says.
Hiddleston and Swift's brief but intense relationship made plenty of headlines in 2016, and the singer's song, "Getaway Car," is widely speculated to be about him. In a candid February 2017 interview with GQ following their split, Hiddleston had nothing but kind words for his ex, and insisted that the romance was "real."
"Taylor Swift is an amazing woman," he said. "She's generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time."
"I have to be so psychologically strong about not letting other people's interpretations about my life affect my life," he continued about all the chatter regarding their relationship.
He also had no regrets, even though a few of the headlines about him were less than flattering, such as when he wore an "I heart T.S." tank top at Swift's 2016 Fourth of July bash at her Rhode Island home.
"Because you have to fight for love," he shared. "You can't live in fear of what people might say."
For more, watch the video below:
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