Loki’s in love! Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton played a married couple in the 2019 revival of the play Betrayal — and a real-life romance quickly blossomed between the two.
The play, which centers on a woman having an affair with her husband’s best friend and the various betrayals that result, opened in London in March 2019. Ashton, Hiddleston and their costar Charlie Cox transferred with the production to Broadway in August of that year.
“We were really lucky that we, on day one, had an incredible trust,” the Fresh Meat alum said during a conversation with AOL’s BUILD series in November 2019 about working with Hiddleston and Cox. “I feel a core connection to these people and it’s because I can feel how open we are. I can feel the trust that we have.”
Though the couple have been effusive about one another’s talent and work, Hiddleston has spoken about how his very public whirlwind romance with Taylor Swift from June to September 2016 taught him to be more protective over his private life.
“Everyone is entitled to a private life,” the Avengers star told The Telegraph in March 2017, six months after he and the Grammy winner called it quits. “I love what I do and I dedicate myself with absolute commitment to making great art and great entertainment, and in my mind I don’t conflict the two.”
He continued: “My work is in the public sphere and I have a private life. And those two things are separate.”
The Crimson Peak actor echoed those sentiments two years later when he and Ashton were starring opposite one another on Broadway. “I’m protective about my internal world now in probably a different way,” Hiddleston told The New York Times in August 2019. “If you go through life without connecting to people, how much could you call that a life? Because you have to fight for love. You can’t live in fear of what people might say.”
After Betrayal closed, the Character Breakdown author and Hiddleston reportedly moved in together in Atlanta, Georgia. However, it wasn’t until the Tony Awards in September 2021 that the pair confirmed their relationship as they walked the red carpet arm-in-arm and posed together inside Radio City Music Hall. In March 2022, the Night Manager alum escorted Ashton to the BAFTA Awards, where they held hands and smiled at one another.
Three days after the awards ceremony, TV presenter AJ Odudu posted a selfie with the duo from the big night on Instagram that appeared to show a large, oval-shaped diamond ring on Ashton’s finger. The photo sparked speculation that Hiddleston and the Velvet Buzzsaw actress were engaged. Us Weekly confirmed the engagement in March 2022.
Hiddleston and Ashton met while starring in a revival of Harold Pinter's play Betrayal alongside Charlie Cox. The trio also moved to New York City when the production was transferred to Broadway. Dan Wooller/Shutterstock
The pair first sparked dating rumors when they were spotted together at the U.S. Open. The Sun reported at the time that the I Saw the Light star had been dating Ashton since February 2019, and that he had fallen for her in "a big way." Dave Shopland/BPI/Shutterstock
Ashton and Hiddleston made their red carpet debut at the 2021 Tony Awards, where he was nominated for Best Leading Actor in the Play. Betrayal was also up for Best Revival of a Play but the show didn't take home any awards that night. Shutterstock (2)
Nearly one year after Deadline reported that Ashton had been cast as the main villain in Captain Marvel 2, the playwright posed with MCU star — and Hiddleston's Avengers: Endgame costar — Brie Larson. "Marvel fans, start your theories," the Oscar winner wrote via Instagram at the time. Courtesy of Brie Larson/Instagram
The duo attended the BAFTAs together, holding hands and gazing at one another on the red carpet. In some of the photos, an oval-shaped diamond ring was spotted on Ashton's ring finger, although it was often obscured by the playwright's voluminous pink gown. Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock for BAFTA
After Odudu fueled rumors about Hiddleston had popped the question, Us confirmed that he and Ashton are engaged. Tom Dymond/Shutterstock
“I’m very happy,” Hiddleston told the Los Angeles Times in response to a question about his engagement. Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
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