Tom Hiddleton's casting for "I Saw The Light" was initially met with outright indignation from fans of Hank Williams.
However, he reportedly worked hard in bringing out his country soul and bring justice to his portrayal of the legendary country singer.
Training for months, he managed to impress another country icon, Rodney Crowell, whom he lived with and observed before taking on the role. He reportedly practiced "all day, every day" just to get his portrayal right.
Director Marc Abraham admitted that the "Avengers" star was the "best actor" to play the part. He even looked like the singer for the first character poster released some weeks ago.
However, Hank Williams III wasn't quite impressed with the decision to cast a British actor to portray his grandfather.
"You got no soul or moan in your voice," he commented last year after watching a video of the popular actor singing "Move It On Over."
According to reviews for Tom Hiddleston's performances for "I Saw The Light," however, he did remarkably well in the film. BBC noted that "certain pieces of casting feel intensely, physically right."
"Hiddleston plays him with cold black eyes, a ghostly pallor and a thin-lipped smile that lights up when Hank is on stage without making you forget what a haunted man he is," the review went on. "That rictus grin makes him look like he's already getting ready for the afterlife."
"The British star makes a compelling, convincing and sometimes downright frightening country singer in this otherwise ill-conceived dirge," The Guardian also pointed out.
Ironically, despite earlier apprehension about Tom Hiddleston's casting for "I Saw The Light", his "worthy effort" (as well as his remarkable chemistry with rumored girlfriend Elizabeth Olsen) seemed to be the movie's only saving grace.
HitFix called the Marc Abarham-helmed film "shockingly bad," while The Guardian described it as "dull" with just a couple of "blindingly inspired" scenes.
The film, which screened at TIFF earlier this month, might not have impressed critics but no one can say that Hiddleston wasn't outstanding in the role.
Watch him sing "Move It On Over" below.
