The MCU’s favorite space Vikings are back in “Thor: Love And Thunder,” and CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg was able to get all the behind-the-scenes details from stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster/Mighty Thor), Christian Bale (Gorr the God Butcher) and Writer/Director Taika Waititi (A.K.A. Korg). Tune in to hear how they feel about Tom Hiddleston’s (Loki’s) absence, working (and spying) on Russell Crowe, and more in this interview.
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00:00 I can be bad at spoilers.
00:02 I give spoilers sometimes and I don't mean to.
00:04 And so I feel like I'm going to withhold that information.
00:08 But I think that fans might think
00:10 that we don't have an answer and there is one.
00:13 And it's cool.
00:16 Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?
00:17 I'm thinking it.
00:18 What are we thinking?
00:19 Thinking what?
00:20 I'm thinking it too.
00:21 This is notably the first Thor movie
00:28 that doesn't have Tom Hiddleston in it.
00:30 And obviously he is such a big part of this franchise.
00:32 What was that experience like not having him around?
00:35 He didn't want to be involved.
00:36 He said, "I hate all of you and in particular me."
00:41 And I was like, "That's a shame."
00:42 That's it.
00:44 I mean, how many times can we kill him?
00:45 Is the big question.
00:46 Exactly, yeah.
00:47 (laughs)
00:48 He's died.
00:49 How many times has he died?
00:50 Has he died again?
00:50 Three, four?
00:52 I guess maybe it's like a burn bridges
00:53 so that he's not like feeling emotional about it, right?
00:56 Yeah.
00:57 We love Tom.
00:58 We love Tom.
00:59 Yeah.
01:00 But he's dead.
01:00 Not him, but the character of Loki.
01:02 No, he's just dead to us.
01:03 He's obviously dead to us.
01:05 As far as friendship goes.
01:07 The one that got away.
01:09 The one that got away.
01:10 That means escaped.
01:11 Yeah, yeah.
01:13 I mean, just having the experience
01:14 of being in Thor Ragnarok,
01:16 having the opportunity to work with Taika Waititi,
01:18 I'm curious how early in the process
01:19 in the making of this movie were you in his ear
01:21 just saying what you wanted for Valkyrie
01:24 and just what you were most passionate about?
01:25 Super early on, actually.
01:27 Yeah, he pitched me some early ideas
01:30 and I pitched things back.
01:32 And then some of the things I pitched are in the movie
01:34 and some of the things that he pitched aren't or there.
01:37 And it was really a process that was evolving,
01:40 which was so fun for me.
01:43 'Cause I don't know, I'm still so new to the camp, you know?
01:47 And I trust what Marvel does and Kevin and everyone there.
01:52 So I'm just sort of like, whatever, I'll just show up.
01:56 And this time around, it was also fun to spitball ideas
02:00 and to be asked what I thought.
02:02 And yeah, it's been so cool to be a part of that process.
02:06 It was really exciting getting to imagine
02:10 with Taika and Chris and Jen, our co-writer with Taika,
02:15 the kind of intermittent years between Dark World and here,
02:21 I mean, or I guess Avengers and here.
02:26 But it was, yeah, it was exciting also
02:29 to get to kind of fill in the pieces
02:31 of Thor and Jane's relationship as well.
02:33 - What's it been like?
02:34 - Three, four years?
02:35 - Eight years, seven months and six days.
02:38 Give or take.
02:39 - And do you think she got what?
02:40 - Possible.
02:44 - You know, Taika described a much larger story to me.
02:48 And obviously we referenced
02:49 the Jason Aaron comic books as well about, you know, Gorr.
02:53 - So this is my vow.
02:56 All gods will die.
02:59 - He then presented it in a different order
03:01 than had been anticipated.
03:02 But you get somebody who you feel incredible pain
03:06 and great sympathy for,
03:07 but then someone who becomes an absolute monster
03:10 based on his pain.
03:11 He's a fascinating villain
03:12 and the villain was so much fun to play.
03:15 - How exciting.
03:16 - And Taika Waititi is known for just basically
03:19 promoting creativity and just invention on set.
03:22 Was that something that you found
03:23 that you personally engaged with?
03:24 - Yeah, and necessary because when you're surrounded
03:26 by blue screen each and every day,
03:28 you need extra imagination, you know,
03:31 to keep yourself going.
03:32 And I've not made a film like that before.
03:35 And Taika, yeah, he uses music.
03:38 He uses, you know, his great sense of humor,
03:41 but absolute wonderful sincerity and emotion.
03:44 It is a beautiful film.
03:45 And I think people will expect it to be bloody funny,
03:49 and it is, but it is also incredibly moving as well,
03:52 which is very surprising.
03:53 - And the two go hand in hand, right?
03:55 As they always have throughout history, comedy and tragedy,
03:57 and Taika does it effortlessly.
03:59 - He insists on spontaneity at all times.
04:02 And it's so incredible to be reminded of that non-stop.
04:06 I mean, he rarely does what's on the page
04:10 and it's really quite a radical way to work
04:13 on a movie of this size and really fun atmosphere.
04:16 And he just brings a lot of joy and fun
04:19 and kind of mischief to like every moment of every day.
04:22 - Is it intimidating at all?
04:24 - It's definitely a new way of working
04:27 because it's so, you really have to be,
04:32 like relinquish control and just like go with what happens.
04:37 But I think he creates such a kind environment
04:41 that it's not, like he's not an intimidating person.
04:43 He's a very like warm, embracing person.
04:47 So it really, it makes you feel like safe to try whatever.
04:52 - Yeah, I had a lot more confidence this time
04:54 to just like come with ideas.
04:57 And also I just feel like my knowledge of the character
05:01 and the universe and the world has matured so much.
05:04 So I felt more comfortable in that space.
05:06 The first time around, I was just like, I'm just learning.
05:09 You know, I'm like learning the ropes.
05:11 And this time still, there's like so much to always learn
05:15 but it's really fun to figure out how to, you know,
05:19 marry the things that are canon about the character
05:21 and also explore the things that we bring as actors
05:24 into the MCU.
05:26 And to me, the most exciting journey is like,
05:28 I'm a fan of these movies and a fan of these characters
05:31 just as an audience member way before making these movies.
05:34 And the most exciting thing is to see the marriage
05:37 of really an actor with what is canon
05:40 and the MCU with what is canon.
05:44 And it's so fun.
05:46 And then also if you pluck those characters
05:48 into new environments,
05:50 then you have the chance to imagine
05:52 what they would be in those spaces.
05:54 So for example, with Valkyrie, it's like,
05:56 if she comes to earth, like what does that mean for her?
06:00 Does she become a musical theater fan?
06:02 Yeah, maybe she does.
06:03 And she loves Phantom of the Opera.
06:05 And that's like fun, you know,
06:06 it doesn't take anything away
06:07 from what exists in the comics.
06:09 It's just expanding on what we know and understand
06:11 and love about the character.
06:13 - Oh.
06:14 - Should we help her?
06:17 - I mean, eventually.
06:18 - Great.
06:19 - I also want to ask about working with Russell Crowe
06:21 as Zeus because it's such a bombastic performance,
06:25 but also that costume that he has is just perfect.
06:28 - Amazing.
06:29 - Well, it's like, yeah, it's a nice little homage
06:30 to Gladiator with the breastplate and stuff.
06:33 And then also like the little tutu thing.
06:35 - The little skirt thing.
06:36 - But also full credit to him, you know,
06:38 he's like the powerhouse of an actor
06:40 and to be able to embrace that and go,
06:41 okay, I know what they're doing.
06:43 - Yeah, the self-deprecating.
06:44 - He was like, okay, I'll play along.
06:46 And the whole, it was--
06:47 - But the script was him?
06:48 All him?
06:49 - Yeah, yeah.
06:50 No, that self-deprecating, kind of make a fool of myself
06:52 kind of attitude that he was down for was brilliant.
06:56 - Yeah.
06:57 - And brought such another surprising element to the space
07:00 that I think audiences would have expected.
07:03 - And you do get the chance to work
07:04 with a new weapon in this one too.
07:05 - Yeah.
07:06 - You get to work with that thunderbolt.
07:07 I'm just curious, because it doesn't seem super wieldy.
07:09 How do you fight with that?
07:10 - No, it's pretty hard.
07:11 And to be honest, like, give me a couple more months
07:14 with that thunderbolt and I might have
07:16 really learned some tricks.
07:17 I got okay with it, but Russell Crowe is so good.
07:20 And I hope he doesn't mind that I'm saying this,
07:23 but I like watched him.
07:25 He would rehearse sometimes outside of my trailer with it.
07:28 And I would watch him.
07:30 [laughing]
07:31 'Cause he's really good.
07:31 He's like so, so fantastic at it.
07:34 But I mean, that's the thing is like you spend,
07:36 I remember when I had Dragon Fang and it was like,
07:39 I was first training with that weapon and my two daggers.
07:42 I would spend so much time, they become like,
07:44 you're, you become intimate with them in a way.
07:46 So the thunderbolt was fun to wield,
07:49 but it's not my weapon.
07:51 So I forgive myself for not being perfect at it.
07:54 - This movie is a lot about intimate relationship
07:56 with weapons.
07:56 - I know, that is like the funniest thing.
07:59 'Cause that was actually something that really developed
08:01 in the course of shooting the film
08:03 and then seeing it last night,
08:05 especially it works like a charm.
08:07 It's just like so, so funny.
08:09 - Are you packed?
08:10 [upbeat music]
08:12 - Yes.
08:13 - What I really love about your performance
08:14 is just the contrast that exists between Jane Foster
08:16 and Mighty Thor.
08:18 You carry yourself very differently
08:19 in both parts of that role.
08:20 I'm curious just to what extent you compartmentalize
08:23 the performances and just saw them as different things.
08:26 - Yeah, I absolutely was,
08:28 I was very grateful to have kind of the human
08:31 and the superhero aspects,
08:33 because I think it's so meaningful to get to see someone
08:38 who can be quite powerful
08:40 and also have a lot of vulnerability.
08:43 I think there's kind of a misunderstanding
08:45 that like a feminist character is just like
08:47 badass, tough person.
08:49 And I find it much more. - All masculine traits.
08:51 - Yeah, I feel like it's very human
08:55 to have all of the sides,
08:57 you know, the vulnerability, the challenges,
09:00 the weakness, the finding strength, finding power
09:04 is something I can relate to a lot more.
09:07 - I was gonna say that was very, very impressive
09:08 what you did back there.
09:09 - So this is kind of a strange question,
09:11 five years into your Marvel tenure,
09:13 but I am curious, is Valkyrie her name
09:15 or is her name Brunhilde and Valkyrie is her title?
09:19 - You know, that's an interesting question.
09:22 Which I don't know, this is the thing,
09:28 I can be bad at spoilers.
09:30 I give spoilers sometimes and I don't mean to.
09:33 And so I feel like I'm going to withhold that information,
09:36 but I think that fans might think
09:39 that we don't have an answer and there is one.
09:42 - That's beautiful.
09:44 - And it's cool.
09:46 - Nice.
09:47 (laughing)
09:48 I love that, that's a great title.
09:49 - Okay, we should go.
09:50 (dramatic music)
09:54 (explosion)
09:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]