Wax figures have to look realistic. That's the whole point of their appeal. If you can't see a celebrity in person with your own eyes, then seeing one of these artificial facsimiles up close make for a decent (though definitely not equal) alternative. That said, sometimes there are wax figures that are constructed that you can't help but marvel at how incredibly close they look to their real-world counterparts. We can safely say that's what's going on with the new wax figure of Kong: Skull Island actor Tom Hiddleston. Actually, it looks a little too real...
While some of the more perceptive readers may notice immediately that this isn't the real Tom Hiddleston, I suspect that if you showed this photo to random people on the street and didn't provide any clues, hints or context, most of them would probably think at first glance that that's the actual actor rather than a wax figure. Seriously, this thing looks impressive.
In case you're wondering why we've been gifted the wonder that is this Tom Hiddleston wax figure, it's currently on display at the London and New York branches of Madame Tussauds, the world-famous wax museum. Hiddleston's figure is based off his Kong: Skull Island character, Captain James Conrad. Along with Conrad, the Kong: Skull Island attraction includes, as described by THR, a gigantic Mother Long Legs spider, a jungle of bamboo and best of all, an 18-foot animatronic head of King Kong himself. The head weighs over 3,000 pounds, and it took a team of artists more than 72 days to build. Here's what Hiddleston said in a statement about the enormous Kong head on display.
I hope when people come face-to-face with Kong himself, they get some sense of what it might be like. Probably, a better sense than I had, because when I made the film, Kong wasn't there, we had to imagine him!
Kong: Skull Island is the second installment of Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment's MonsterVerse, which kicked off in 2014 with the Godzilla reboot. Set in 1973, the latest King Kong flick follows a group of explorers, put together by the scientific organization Monarch, who travel to the just recently-discovered Skull Island to learn about its wonders. Little do they know that the island is populated with unusual beasts, including the giant gorilla named Kong who's "king" around those parts. Along with Tom Hiddleston, the movie's main cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, John C. Reilly, Corey Hawkins, Jing Tian and Toby Kebbell. Following this movie, Kong will return to battle Godzilla in 2020's Godzilla vs. Kong.
You can catch Kong: Skull Island in theaters this Friday, March 7 and at the preceding Thursday night screenings.
