Chris Hemsworth Interview, THOR

Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior, is sent down to Earth as punishment for reigniting a reckless war. But after a dangerous villain from his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth, the hammer-wielding Thor will learn what it takes to be a true hero in order to save mankind.

After watching the big Marvel panel at Comic Con last Saturday, MoviesOnline caught up with Chris Hemsworth who plays the title role in “Thor.” Chris talked to us about his exciting new action-adventure adaptation, its rich mythology, and the challenges of wielding Thor’s mighty hammer. He told us how he prepared for the role, what it was like working with acclaimed director Kenneth Branagh, and how he sought to balance his character’s hubris with heroism. Here’s what he had to say:

Q: So how much pressure do you feel playing Thor in “Thor,” and how has that changed as you played him and when you come here?

CH: Well, there’s a lot of pressure with something that has existed for so many years before you were involved and already has a fan base. But, you don’t let that affect the way you approach the film. For me, you do it as well as you can whatever it is, whether it’s a small film or whether it’s something like this here. But it’s as exciting and daunting as each other.

Q: How important is the relationship between Thor and Jane in the film? Is it set up for later films?

CH: Yeah, there’s a bit of that but also it’s a big sort of breaking point in Thor’s journey, learning some humility. He starts out as a brash, cocky young warrior and she certainly influences him in a different direction, gives him a different angle to look at life from.

Q: In your performance and the way you think about Thor, how do you balance his hubris with his heroism? Do you think one exists in spite of the other?

CH: I think I do. I think it’s his ongoing battle, taming the berserk kind of warrior that is in him. Certainly that’s a big part in this film, he’s still got to be that warrior. He still has to have those elements. That’s what makes him Thor but also, you don’t want to watch a guy on screen that is just a jerk all the time. You’ve got moments of it, yeah, that’s kind of cool and bad, but then it just gets old. So finding that balance, and then at times, sneaking a bit of it back in at the right time.

Q: How do your mates back home treat you now? Did your brother hit you up for a role as an Asgardian?

CH: No, I have enough trouble getting myself a part let alone my brother, but we both auditioned for it funny enough. I had an audition, didn’t hear anything, then he was in Australia and sent a tape across. The next minute I heard they were flying him over to meet Ken and he was down to the last four guys, and I was like, “What?” He went in, did a great job and it didn’t end up happening. Then I got another phone call and was like, “Sh*t, what worked, what didn’t? Tell me what he said.” I got some advice and here we are.

Q: What was the process of working with Branagh?

CH: Brilliant. It was the most amount of character development and discussions on scenes and backstory that I’ve ever had. He always had the attitude that we could talk for hours, read books, read this, look at all these influences. Maybe it means nothing or maybe it gives us one moment in the film and it’s worth it. It’s part of the fun for me, that research and speaking to as many people as you can and soaking up that stuff.

Q: What examples did you get from the comic books?

CH: Ken gave me Siddhartha, actually a Herman Hesse book about a man trying to find his place in life and going through all the temptations. Thor in effect was different to Siddhartha but it was a human being trying to find out his purpose and how he was going to go about his life. That was the same thing. Ken said, “Look, this was a just great book that I loved. It might give you something for the film or it might just personally.” It’s certainly one of my favorite books.

Q: This is a physically demanding role. What preparation did you have to do?

CH: It was a lot of protein shakes and chicken breast, a lot of calories, a lot of food, a lot of working out and trying to get as much rest as you can. That’s the other 1/3 of the equation. I put on 20 pounds and lost a lot of it since shooting purely from not eating that amount.

Q: Are there prosthetics involved too?

CH: Well, the costume is a big heavy chainmail leather costume, but when it’s me, it’s me. It’s not fake arms.

Q: Who wins in a fight between Captain America and Thor, or between you and Chris Evans?

CH: He’s here, we’re going to sort that out later.

Q: Do you have a favorite Thor story from your research?

CH: The stuff with The Avengers I really liked. There’s one particular one where they approach him and Thor’s sitting on a beach in a party or something. There’s fire and people sitting around playing guitar. Thor’s there drinking a beer and up walk out SHIELD and I think Iron Man. They’re like, “Supposedly you’re a god and we want you to join our team.” He’s like, “Psh, I’m not joining nothing.” I think one of them says something like, “I don’t believe he’s a god anyway.” Thor makes big rain and thunder and they scurry away. I enjoyed that moment.

Q: What fighting techniques did you go through for Thor’s hammer swing, and what did you end up with?

CH: A lot of different stuff because it really is a very impractical kind of weapon in a sense. There’s a big huge head on it and a tiny little handle. So we talked about boxing a lot actually. I’d done a lot of Muay Thai for years and Muay Thai is much more on your toes and legs involved. Boxing is more of a grounded sort of technique. We’d talk about Tyson, low to the ground and power through the legs. A lot of that I think influenced Thor and certainly big open shoulders, big shoulder movements. It becomes a very gritty kind of street fighting stuff at times and he happens to have a big old hammer in his hand as well.

Q: Did you really try to steal one?

CH: I did. No, not officially. I certainly talked to a lot of people and was like, “Could I take the hammer? Can I take the hammer?” Someone said yes but then I forgot to take it.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge about starting a movie where the fans know so much of the backstory, and you still have to surprise them somehow?

CH: Yeah, that’s the challenge. You walk into something which has a pre-existing fan base. People are very passionate about it and know what they want to see. As far as how you bring the excitement or challenge, a lot of that, the script comes along. That’s not my department. For me it was reading as much as the comic books and things that inspired me, gaining that but then also taking the reigns and going, “Okay, now we’ve just got to do it” scene by scene.

Q: What’s your favorite thing about Thor that drew you to the role?

CH: Being part of a franchise so I can pay rent. I mean, look, when this came along, this film, I was knocking on every door trying to get a job. Once having the job, I’ll tell you about what excited me. I love the Norse mythology aspect of it all. I think the Viking era is fascinating. He has a great journey. He’s a brash, cocky young warrior and he’s got to learn some humility along the way. Anything to do with brothers and fathers, I have a great relationship with my brothers and fathers and stuff to draw from. That stuff always lights a fire in me. Even when I see it on screen it affects me. The warrior aspect and the people involved was all appealing.

Q: What’s your biggest concern about mainstream audiences, outside of fans, receiving the film?

CH: That’s a challenge. You’ve got to look after the fans already and then you’ve got to introduce it to a new audience. But same again, you can’t think about that when you hear action. You sort of simplify it and just do the best you can and be respectful of what already exists, take it to where you’re trying to go with it.

Q: How hard is it to keep it all a secret, and have you slipped up yet?

CH: I don't think I have. There were some photos leaked at one point. I was like, “Oh God, hopefully it wasn’t me.” Look, the thing is this is already based on sort of comic books which the stories are there. Now which particular story we’ve decided to tell is I guess the secret, but a lot of the essence of it already exists and people know about it. That’s not secret.

Q: At any point in the movie will you say “verily” or “I say thee name?”

CH: Nay. Like in the comic books, it’s much more Shakespearian old English speak. We didn’t go down that path. We certainly made them standard sort of English accents. It was certainly well spoken and very formal but it wasn’t Shakespearian.

Q: What are your hopes for how Thor will fit in to the Avengers team?

CH: I hope it works. Look, I think that’s going to be great. A lot of people are like, “Oh, I want to see them fight and who would win?” But I’d like to see the dinner party with Iron Man, Captain America and Thor. What the hell would they talk about?

Q: What has the last year been like for you starting with Star Trek?

CH: Which was also three years ago. I shot that a long time ago too. I shot that and something else. There was eight months where I didn’t work and I was on the phone with my parents going, “I’m coming home. This is not for me.” It was good though because that period made me think, “God, what am I doing? I’m relying on something which I have no control over to make me happy -- the constant change of everything, impermanence and permanence. So I really started thinking, “I’m going to get comfortable with just this, this moment here, and stop looking to the future to sort of go oh, then I’ll be happy.” It was great, it was a real turning point for me. That was one of the hardest periods for me, questioning everything I’d wanted to do but also very humbling. It was funny. I feel when you take the load off yourself and go, “Okay, I’m cool with whatever happens,” things just started coming in. I got one job, I was shooting Cabin in the Woods and then I found out about Red Dawn and Thor a day apart. So it was from not working to having the next few years of my life lined up.

Q: What’s the one thing you’ve learned from Branagh on this film?

CH: Tons. I’ve never had so much work on character and script analysis and story as him and never been asked so many questions about who is this guy, what do you think you’d do in this situation, why do you think he does this? What’s this about? It was very odd questions at times. You’d be like, “What’s this got to do with anything?” It just fuels the tank with information and I guess you can train up your instincts and they get out there and react. I think of it like a sport all the time. You don’t get out on the field and then learn how to kick the football. You’ve done that. I guess it becomes instinct. Ken also was about constantly doing it different ways and attacking from a different angle. We’d done this. Now let’s hit it from here. It gets you out of that zone of thinking, “Ah, this is my character” and limiting myself. He just kept saying, “No, we’ve done that. Let’s try this.” All of a sudden you go in a direction you never thought you’d go in. You go, “Actually this works and this can affect this.” It was a roller coaster of ideas.

Q: What’s your take on Thor and how do you play it straight in that outfit?

CH: There’s no dainty footsteps. It was to make sure I solidly planted my feet. The costume does so much work, Hopkins said to me when we put it on, he said, “No acting required here, is there?” So I guess working out the fighting style and it’s an ongoing process. The more we did dialogue scenes or fight scenes, they all fed off each other. In the rehearsal process you begin to go, “Yeah, you feel like the character.” Then there’s days where I did not feel like this guy at all but I pulled together. I don't know, you’ve just got to trust it and trust the people around you and Ken if he says, “Yeah, you’re at a 3. I need you at a 10.”

Q: What was your training to become the god of thunder?

CH: It was a lot of weight work and a lot of protein shakes and chicken and fish and steak and food. That was exhausting, the eating.

Q: Sounds awesome.

CH: Yeah, it was awesome when you throw up. Working out wasn’t the hardest part. It was the food intake.

Q: Are you ready for the girls blowing your Twitter account up?

CH: I don’t even have a Twitter account, or a MySpace or a Facebook. There’s a few out there apparently.

Q: What is your take on Thor?

CH: Much like this journey in this film. He’s a brash, cocky young warrior and he’s got to learn some humility. It’s about that journey. I think him learning to temper what is his greatest strength is also his biggest danger, which is that power.

Q: How did you take to the stunts and action?

CH: I love that stuff. I played a lot of sport in my life and any time I can get in there and do that stuff, you’re getting paid to do that it’s ridiculous.

Q: Were you surprised by anything you were able to do?

CH: You know, there’s something I thought I could do and I couldn’t which was strapped into this harness, I had to pretend like I was falling through space. I basically was there on a couple of wires and they just spin you. You spin backwards. I thought that’s something that at the show grounds you pay five bucks for and it’s just going to be fun. Two spins later, I was like whooooaaaaa. We stopped and I was like pale. They’re like, “You want to stop?” I was like, “No, just keep going until I throw up I guess.” He just kept spinning and going, “You all right, Chris?” It’s like [gasps], “Go again, go again.” Eventually we got what we needed and I just had to sit down for a couple hours. It was hideous.

Q: When will we see Red Dawn?

CH: Look, I don’t have a date for it but I know it all depends on what happens with MGM. I know they’re excited about it. A lot of people are excited about it and with what they’ve seen so hopefully early next year.

“Thor” is scheduled for theatrical release on May 6, 2011.