Exclusive: Tom Hiddleston had a unique way to bond the cast on new drama Tenzing

Tenzing, the upcoming biographical drama starring Tom Hiddleston and Caitríona Balfe, had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last month, where it garnered acclaim from critics.

The film depicts the story of mountaineer Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), who aims to climb Mount Everest alongside Sir Edmund Hillary (Hiddleston) and John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) in 1953.

Directed by Jennifer Peedom from a screenplay by Luke Davies, the film is due to stream on Apple TV later this month, with the cast attending a gala screening in London ahead of its main release.

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In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Marvel star Hiddleston recalled his experience from filming, and revealed that he had a unique way of bonding with his co-stars on the set.

"We were preparing to make the film, and it was an extraordinary international production in lots of ways," he recalled. "We were talking one night, very early on [in production] at dinner, introducing ourselves to each other.

"I said, 'wouldn't it be amazing to train together?', because Edmund Hillary called this expedition a 'pyramid of effort'... [It] involved many people, their love, their passion, their commitment, their belief, their labour."

Hiddleston shared that he suggested that the cast and crew go for a run during filming in Kathmandu, with the actor adding that Nepalese city was "full of life, people, traffic and sometimes animals".

"I asked the local people 'what's the best time to run in Kathmandu?' It was May and they said that the sun comes up around 4.30am. If you're on the street by 5am and you're finished by 6am, you should be okay and you'll share the streets with the dogs."

Hiddleston, who is known for playing Loki in the MCU, said that around 15 people were involved in the run, which took place in the "beautiful spring sunshine" in the capital city of Nepal.

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Phuntsok, who has previously appeared in Jinpa and Snow Leopard, spoke about his experience of working with the British actor, with the actor saying that he has forged a "friendship" with his co-star.

"We had experienced the life together, climbing the mountain, sleeping in a hotel and just drinking tea together," he said. "We would think about this story and ask each other, 'do you think Edmund Hillary and Tenzing did this like what we are doing right now?'"

Tenzing is released on Apple TV on 16 October.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
 

Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies. 

She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.