Thor: Chris Hemsworth Speaks

There’s a four-page interview with the man who plays Thor in the new issue of SFX , and here’s a taster to whet your appetite

SFX : Did you prefer filming the Earthbound scenes or those set in yonder Asgard?

Chris Hemsworth: “The Earth stuff was more difficult, to be honest. Because the Asgardian stuff – and I’m glad we shot it this way – we shot first. So we’re in costume on these sets and everyone is speaking in old English. You felt like how you’re meant to feel. Whereas coming to Earth and trying to have that same persona really felt like a fish out of water. Which was good for the character; he was meant to. So it’s probably perfect. I was certainly more aware of how different the character felt to the American characters – Natalie Portman and Stellan Skarsgård and Kat Dennings – which I’m sure worked for the film. There was a whole lot of humour we found in the Earth stuff, which Ken really wanted. These films can, I think, have a tendency sometimes to be overly earnest. Whereas this has aspects of that, but there’s a sense of fun to it.”

SFX : Thor will return in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers . Since Joss has described the team as a family, what role do you see Thor taking on within this family?

“It’s a fairly dysfunctional family isn’t it? [Laughs] From the comic books, I’ll say that they’re all very lonely in a lot of ways. Because they’re all so different, whether it be the Hulk or Iron Man. Whether or not they’re surrounded by people, there’s still a sense of isolation. I think that’s how maybe they begin to bond, by realising, ‘Hey, maybe we’re not so different.’ But as far as the film and Joss’s plans, his take and how he’s gonna string it together… It’s so early into it for me. I only had one discussion.”

Having met with Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans, did you notice a rapport that you can see translating to film?

“Yeah, we don’t get along at all [laughs]”

Read the full interview in SFX 207, on sale Wednesday 9 March.

Dave Golder
Freelance Writer

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.