Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe’s Marvel connection took an unexpected turn while the actors were filming Tenzing in Nepal. The two stars are known for playing iconic Marvel villains, but their latest encounter had nothing to do with superheroes.
While filming in Lower Mustang, the actors met local monks who recognized them as Loki and Green Goblin. The surprising moment gave Hiddleston and Dafoe a memorable story from the production.
Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe’s Marvel Roles Get Recognized
The encounter happened at a monastery that welcomed the Tenzing production for a day. Hiddleston recalled how curious the monks were about the filmmaking process.
“We’re in this monastery, and the monks have generously given us this location for a day, and they’re very curious because we have all the filmmaking and cameras and microphones, and we do things again and again and again and retake,”
After filming wrapped, Hiddleston and Dafoe went to the monastery’s rooftop to take photographs. That was when three monks approached the actors.
One of them then recognized their famous Marvel characters.
“At the end of the day, we go onto the rooftop, and we take some stills, photographs. And three of the most quiet, sort of self-effacing monks approach us, and one of the monks said, ‘Excuse me, Mr. Loki, Mr. Green Goblin, may we have a photograph?’”
The unexpected recognition clearly caught both actors off guard.
The Actors Were Surprised by the Monks
Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe’s Marvel connection made the moment especially unusual because the actors were far removed from their superhero roles. Hiddleston explained that he and Dafoe immediately looked at each other before agreeing to the monks’ request.
“Will and I looked at each other, and it was like, ‘Of course you can.’ And yeah, so there are these photographs of the monks. Loki and Green Goblin just up in the high hills at Lower Mustang.”
The image of Loki and Green Goblin meeting monks in the Himalayan region is certainly an unusual chapter in the actors’ Marvel history. It also shows how far their superhero roles have reached beyond traditional comic book audiences.
Hiddleston and Dafoe Are Playing Real-Life Figures
Although fans may associate Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe’s Marvel roles with Loki and Green Goblin, the actors are taking on very different characters in Tenzing. Hiddleston plays Sir Edmund Hillary, the New Zealand mountaineer who became the first confirmed climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest alongside Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
Dafoe, meanwhile, portrays Colonel John Hunt, who led the British expedition. Genden Phuntsok stars as legendary Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. Caitríona Balfe also joins the cast as Jill Henderson.
The movie explores the historic Everest expedition and the people involved in one of mountaineering’s most famous achievements.
Tenzing Brings Together a Major Cast
Jennifer Peedom directs Tenzing from a screenplay by Luke Davies. The film focuses on the 1953 expedition while bringing a dramatic interpretation to the events surrounding the historic climb. For Hiddleston and Dafoe, the production also represents a significant departure from their familiar comic book characters.
Still, the monastery encounter provided an amusing reminder that their Marvel performances remain instantly recognizable. The fact that the monks identified them as Loki and Green Goblin while they were working on a historical drama thousands of miles from Hollywood made the experience even more memorable.
When Will Tenzing Be Released?
Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe’s Marvel connection may have created the most unexpected behind-the-scenes moment, but Tenzing has a much different story to tell. The biographical drama will arrive in select theaters on October 9, 2026. It will then begin streaming globally on Apple TV+ on October 16, 2026.
For Marvel fans, however, the story of Loki and Green Goblin meeting monks in Nepal could become one of the film’s most entertaining production anecdotes.
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