Chris Hemsworth is Thor at his best in the April 27 film Avengers: Infinity War
How did the Russo brothers explain Thors role in this film to you?
Anthony and Joe said that the Thor: Ragnarok Thor probably wont fit in this film. You can afford to take bigger risks and be that wacky and reinvent the entire world to support your version of the character if its your title film. But if you come into an ensemble, like Infinity War, you need to adjust and fit into the mould and the tone of that film. And this really is Thor at his best, as Joe and Anthony described it. This is the most heroic, most vengeful, passionate, driven, committed version of Thor that weve seen. So, it was fun to again explore something completely different.
Have you ever reflected on your Marvel cinematic journey with Tom Hiddleston?
Yes. Tom and I talk all the time about the crazy journey that weve been on and the growth that weve had as individuals and as actors, and also as these characters, and what a trip the whole thing has been and how lucky we are. I think back to the first time we met, and it was at Kenneth Branaghs house in London. He had flown us out there for a workshop on the script and the characters for the first Thor. But I think theres not a single cast member in this film that doesnt acknowledge and appreciate this journey and sort of pinch themselves at what an opportunity weve all had and what an amazing thing to be a part of.
Do you relish the fact that youve been able to flesh out a character over so many films?
I love the fact that weve been all given the opportunity to do something different each time and put our ideas forward. And to have an opportunity to attack a character again and hopefully advance on that and bring something unique to it each time is a real challenge. But if you can pull it off, its pretty creatively satisfying.
Where is Thor before Infinity War?
We end Thor: Ragnarok with a rather large spaceship approaching. We then pick it up in Avengers: Infinity War in the middle of a battle.
How does Thor encounter the Guardians?
The Guardians basically are flying through space and pick up Thor. There is this interesting confusion and then fascination and heightened tension between all of them because no one knows who the other one is or what they are doing. That was so much fun to play, because a lot of us came into this film as big fans of each others franchises.
To stand there amongst the Guardians was a bit of a fanboy moment for me. It was also kind of nerve-wracking as I felt strangely uncomfortable and wondered how I fit into this puzzle. It was great. We were able to improvise a bit and play around with that. It brought out the unique qualities in all of our characters purely from just having someone different involved.
Did you rehearse that scene?
There was no rehearsing. We turned up, shook hands, introduced one another, and started shooting. It needed to be that way because thats how it was for the characters. So if it can kind of blend into one another in that sense then its a huge benefit. There seems to be far less ego in a setting like this than youd imagine.
What separates Thanos from typical Marvel villains?
There is certainly a common theme with a lot of villains of that scale and size that are trying to save humanity from itself and save us from ourselves. But its done in a very brutal fashion. What I havent seen before is this force and this power by one single individual. And its not only Thanoss intellect that manages to navigate his way through this and outsmart us, but just his sheer force and strength is something that none of the Avengers or anyone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever really encountered before. Even just reading the script, I was kind of racing to the end to work out how the hell we were going to beat this guy.
What is his ultimate goal?
Thanos believes that weve overpopulated the universe, and that were destroying it at a rapid rate. So hes taken it upon himself to reduce us in numbers. Therefore, that should mean there would be enough food for everybody, enough land, enough whatever. Currently, its spread too thin in his eyes. So it was a pretty brutal approach to how hes going to clean things up by cutting the population in half.
Was there anyone you were excited to play with?
The Guardians because I hadnt met any of them off screen and never had worked with them. Also, I was really interested to see how the characters were going to interact. Thor ends up going on a journey separately with just Rocket and Groot and that became such a fun little dynamic as well.
How does Thor get on without Mjölnir?
Thor has lost everything at this point. We have kind of stripped him back to a point where he no longer has his weapon of choice or the thing that he believes represented his power and defined him. Everything and everyone important in his life has been destroyed. So he has quite a fatalistic attitude and gives it all hes got. That seems wildly suicidal, but he doesnt see any other option. So that brings out something different in him again.
How has it been working with Josh Brolin?
Josh has a great sense of humour, very laid-back. He has a sort of no-problem, just-do-it attitude and doesnt suffer fools. Theres just an honesty to him as a human being and a directness, which is so refreshing when coupled with his great sense of humour. So watching him work was a huge pleasure, and I feel like I learned a lot from his approach.
Has Robert Downey Jr. always been a leader on these films?
Robert has always led the way like a true leader and champion. Theres always been such great encouragement from him, such great constant feedback on what were doing. Hes always observing, always watching, doesnt miss a beat. Hes always the first person to tell you that something works or that it was fantastic. As a young actor, when I first started this franchise, hearing that from Robert was like having the tick of approval and being let into the club. Even to right now, six, seven years on, he still has that same attitude. And its a true testament to his humility and attitude and his love for this franchise and all these characters.
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