Hammer time, again

What is it like to be back portraying Thor for the third time?

Chris Hemsworth (CH): I love playing the character. The trick is to find new ways to make the character have some sort of advance or growth from the last film. That’s the trick of the director, writer and the actor obviously coming together and asking what’s the next step and where are we going to take him.

I love the fact that Thor is a god, but that could be very bland and one-sided. Each time we get to break him down and find his human qualities and his vulnerable side. It’s interesting because he has such a tough exterior and an unbreakable feel.

Tom Hiddleston (Loki) in a scene from Thor: The Dark World. Image courtesy Marvel.com

What did you change about the process this time around?

CH: It’s different from The Avengers because in that film you didn’t have your individual journey. The arc of that story was the group, whereas this is certainly each of us, and we each have our own specific story. This one is really picking up from the film Thor in a lot of ways, with the same questions about his brother, about why and how they ended up here and what happened to their relationship. But the bigger picture is that potentially Thor is stepping into the role of king, and he needs to prove that he deserves to be there and also understand and come to terms with the responsibilities that becoming king carries.

Where do we find Thor in this film as opposed to the last?

CH: In the first film, Thor was a young spoiled teenager, about to take on the throne and be king. Then his father realises that he’s not quite mature enough and his priorities are in the wrong place. He’s full of ego and attitude. During that film, he is humbled and we leave that first story with Thor about to step into the responsibility of possibly becoming king of Asgard. In this film we pick up with him really coming to an understanding of what that entails and the darker side of that responsibility. He figures out that it doesn’t necessarily come with all the privileges; there are a lot of sacrifices. It’s that next step in his evolution to become king.

Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Anthony Hopkins (Odin) in a scene from Thor: The Dark World. Image courtesy Marvel.com

What is it like working with Anthony Hopkins now that you have that relationship from the first film?

CH: He’s the greatest. Obviously having worked together before, there’s an immediate ease and familiarity, which is great to dive back into. Anthony is one of those rare actors that I could just be around and watch all day long. There’s such a weight and depth to everything he does, no matter how subtle. I think we both have a great time playing these characters and finding new ways to explore the conflict and love they have for one another.

Give some examples as to where we see some humour in this film.

CH: The humour doesn’t lie so much in Thor’s kind of naiveté as it did in the first one when that fish-out-of-water quality played so well. As much as we wanted to repeat that we couldn’t because it would contradict the fact that he was now becoming more mature and aware. But Kat Dennings and Natalie Portman’s characters certainly have a ton of funny lines in this, and some great dialogue. It’s through their observations of how wacky our world of Asgard is. So, it’s sort of what we had in the first one, but a bit of a role reversal.

PLAIN JANE. Natalie Portman plays Thor’s love interest Jane Forster in the latest Marvel film, ‘Thor: The Dark World’. Picture: AFP.

Where do Thor and Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) stand in this film in terms of their relationship?

CH: Jane’s been wondering where he is and where he’s been, and why he hasn’t contacted her since he left. Thor did have a brief trip to New York with the Avengers but didn’t give her a call, so she’s not too happy at first. She comes to understand that he’s been saving the universe, so that’s not a bad excuse. But the two of them have to figure out whether or not this is a realistic relationship. They do feel strongly for each other, so regardless of everything else, they’re thinking with their hearts instead of their heads.

What kind of training did you have to do this time around?

CH: On this one I came in and said, “Okay, I want to make Thor more dynamic.” The guy can fly and split the earth in half with his weapon, yet a lot of the time we have seen him in the past just fighting hand-to-hand combat like a Viking, which is an element of his style, but I think we needed to embrace that he has far more advanced skills than that. So the idea of getting him off the ground a lot more, using more wire work.