Chris Hemsworth on Thor: Ragnarok — 'Almost every scene in the film has been improvised'
It's homecoming for Chris Hemsworth and the zest in his body language is a giveaway. The Australia born actor is in Sydney to attend the premier of his upcoming big ticket film Thor Ragnarok, a major portion of which was shot near Gold Coast, Queensland.
When you meet the man, two things are certain to intimidate you: his towering persona and his stardom (reflected in his entourage). The 34 year-old, 6ft 3in star, however, carries none of it and has an unassuming appearance. His fifth outing as the Asgardian prince Thor in Thor Ragnarok also happens to be Hemworth’s most unusual portrayal of the superhero.
When Firstpost caught up him at the Park Hyatt, Sydney, he seemed devoid of the usual star trappings, and though he is 34, adolescent behavior is still to leave him. So, does the feeling of being Thor poke him when he is not shooting? “No. I mean this Thor is much meaner and there is a lot of uncertainty and nervous energy that surrounds him. He is sort of on the back foot and has to figure things out from a chaotic situation. That part is closer to me than the strong, confident and stolid version in other films.”
Chris Hemsworth in a still from the trailer of Thor: Ragnarok.
Hemsworth further adds that he was surprised with his appearance in the film, as the special effects have made him look ‘cool’.
Hemsworthy plays the lead in Thor: Ragnarok, but one look at the supporting cast of the film and it could seem daunting for the actor. The ‘supporting actors’ in question happen to be Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jeff Goldblum and Mark Ruffalo. So was the presence of stalwarts on the sets intimidating?
“Yes, always. Obviously they are iconic, famous and successful actors. The feeling also comes in when you work with young kids and then you say, 'he is amazing'. It also makes you think, 'Oh my God! He is way better than me'. A little bit of fear is good as it keeps you motivated and pushes you to work harder," he informs.
There is also one actress for whom Hemsworth reserves a special praise: Cate Blanchett, whose role of Thor’s sister Hela also marks her entry in the Marvel universe. The siblings will be seen fighting each other to gain over the supremacy of Asgard.
“I met her and she is the most warm, open, ego-less and wonderful person. She has won enough accolades to be very confident in what she can do. She does not mind asking how to do something if she does not know," he reveals.
Thor Ragnarok is also touted to be the funniest film to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The credit for the ‘fun elements’ goes to the chemistry between Chris and Mark Ruffalo, whose bonhomie and friendly banter was much talked about during the press interaction of Avengers 2. It’s also said that almost 80 per cent of the scenes of the film was improvised while shooting. How true is it? “Just about every single scene in the movie, we have played with in some way or the other. It's not as if the whole scene was improvised but we were always adding in something or the other.”
The poster of Thor: Ragnarok
Thor Ragnarok will also witness the superhero without his famous mane for the first time. He mentions that the feeling of appearing in cropped hair on the screen was great but is quick to narrate the back-story too.
“After the first two films, I was sort of bored of myself. We could be doing so much with Thor, as we haven’t capitalised on the content that’s available in the comic strip. I suggested a different direction and that included cutting the hair, losing the hammer, changing the costume and then hiring Taika to helm the project. It all brings a unique vision to the film," he adds.
Its also surprising to know that when Hemsworth met Taika, the director of Thor Ragnarok for the first time, he complimented him on his previous film but the same was not reciprocated by the director. Taika informed him that he had not seen any of the previous Thor films. Ouch. After this debut awkward meeting and a mega schedule of three and half months later, the two are now thick as thieves.
Hemsworth says, “Very early on we wanted to have a wild road trip sort of quality to the movie between Thor and Bruce Banner in this crazy planet of Sakaar. He [Mark Ruffalo] is so much fun and it was great improvising the scenes with him. He has a charm-like innocence and uncertainty that he has put in the character, which I think was refreshing.”
