Tom Hiddleston Gives His Hank Williams Performance a Test Run at a Michigan Music Festival

Tom Hiddleston road-tested his Hank Williams impression for the first time this weekend in front of a very discerning crowd: Midwestern country music fans. Best known for playing Loki in the Thor and Avengers films, Hiddleston will portray legendary musician Williams in the upcoming biopic I Saw the Light. On Saturday, the English actor made a surprise appearance at Michigan’s Wheatland Music Festival, where he performed several of Williams’ best-known songs alongside Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell.

Curious to hear Hiddleston’s take on country standards? Here’s a fan video of Hiddleston singing and playing Williams’ first hit, “Move It On Over,” from 1947. (Hear the original version here.)

And here’s a video of Hiddleston singing Williams’ 1952 single “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” (original recording here).

Hiddleston reportedly returned to the stage on Sunday to perform “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” with Crowell. In videos from the event, the actor reveals himself to be a fine singer with a believable country twang —although his baritone voice bears little resemblance to Williams’ nasal tenor. Local reporter Elizabeth Waldon tweeted this shot of Hiddleston onstage.

While festival-goers seemed to welcome Hiddleston, his casting was somewhat controversial among country fans, for the obvious reason: He’s a Brit playing an Alabama-born American icon. Williams’ grandson Hank Williams III has been outspoken in his objections, telling TMZ that his grandfather should have been played by an authentic Southerner like Matthew McConaughey. Nevertheless, Hiddleston has thrown himself wholeheartedly into the role, practicing voice and guitar daily, with Crowell as his personal country-music coach.

“Hank’s life has a tragic arc, but in simple truth, he was a genius: a star that burned twice as bright and lived half as long,” Hiddleston told the Daily Mail in June. “It’s a huge role for me and a huge responsibility. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”

I Saw the Light will follow the singer’s rise to fame, from his first marriage in 1944 to his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1949. In 1953, Williams’ remarkable career was cut short when he died of heart failure due to drug and alcohol use. He was only 29 — four years younger than Hiddleston is now. The film begins shooting in October. Hopefully movie audiences will be as enthusiastic about Hiddleston’s performance as the crowds at Wheatland; here’s one more video of the actor thanking his audience.

Photo credit: Ben Pruchnie/WireImage, Gregg DeGuire/WireImage, Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, @elisabethwaldon/Twitter