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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00:00I'm I'm I can be bad at spoilers. I give spoilers sometimes and I don't mean to and so I feel like I'm going to withhold that information
00:08but I think that fans might think that we don't have an answer and there is one and
00:15It's cool are you thinking what I think you're thinking I'm thinking it what are we thinking thinking what thinking it too
00:21This is notably the first
00:23Thor movie that doesn't have Tom Hiddleston in it and obviously he is such a big part of this franchise
00:28I'm just what was that experience like like not having him or he didn't want to be involved. He said
00:33Yeah, I hate all of you and in particular me and I was like, that's a shame and that's it
00:39I mean, how many times could I kill him?
00:41Is the exact way? Yeah, like
00:43I guess maybe it's like burn bridges so that he's not like feeling emotional about it, right? Yeah, we love Tom
00:49We love Tom. Yeah, but he's dead not him but the character of Loki just no he's just dead
00:55He's obviously dead to us as far as the friendship goes
00:59When they've got away when they got away that means escaped. Yeah
01:04I
01:06Mean
01:08I mean just having the experience of being in Thor Ragnarok having the opportunity to work with Taika Waititi
01:12I'm curious how early in the process in the making of this movie
01:15Were you in his ear just saying what you wanted for Valkyrie and just what you were most passionate about super early on actually
01:21Yeah, he like
01:23Pitch me some early ideas and I pitched things back
01:26and then some of the things I pitched are in the movie and some of the things that he pitched aren't or there and
01:31like it was really a
01:33Fun for me because like I don't know. I'm still so new to the camp, you know, and and I trust what
01:42Marvel does and Kevin and everyone there. So I'm just sort of like whatever. I'll just show up, you know
01:48And this time around it was also fun to like spitball ideas and and to be asked, you know, what I thought and and
01:56You know, it was it was fun
01:58It was also fun to like spitball ideas and and to be asked, you know what I thought and and um,
02:04And yeah, it's been so cool to be a part of that process. It was really exciting getting to
02:09imagine with Taika and Chris and Jen our
02:14co-writer with Taika, um the kind of
02:18Intermittent years between you know
02:20Dark world and here. I mean or I guess Avengers and here. Um
02:26But it was yeah, it was exciting also to get to kind of fill in the pieces of Thor and Jane's relationship as well
02:33What's it been like three four years eight years seven months and six days give or take and do you think she got what?
02:43Possible, you know Taika
02:46Described a much larger story, you know to me and obviously we reference the Jason Aaron comic books as well
02:52About you know go
02:56Oh god, she won't die. Um, he then presented it in a different order than had been anticipated
03:03Um, but you get somebody who you feel incredible pain and great sympathy for but then someone who becomes an absolute monster
03:10Uh based on his pain. He's a fascinating villain and the villain was so much fun to play
03:15How exciting and Taika Waititi is known for just basically promoting creativity and just invention on set
03:22Was that something that you found that you personally engaged with?
03:24Yeah, and necessary because when you're surrounded by blue screen each and every day you need you need extra imagination
03:31You know to keep yourself going and i've not made a film like that before
03:35um
03:36And taika. Yeah, he uses music. He uses, you know, his great sense of humor, but
03:42Absolute wonderful sincerity and emotion. It is a beautiful film and
03:47I think people will expect it to be bloody funny and it is but it is also incredibly moving as well
03:52Which is very surprising the two go hand in hand, right as they always have throughout history comedy and tragedy and taika does it effortlessly
03:59He insists on spontaneity at all times and it's it's so
04:04Incredible to be reminded of that non-stuff. I mean he rarely
04:08Does what's on the page and it's really?
04:11uh
04:12quite a radical way to work on a movie of this size and really fun atmosphere and
04:17He just brings a lot of joy and fun and kind of mischief to like every every moment of every day
04:22Is it intimidating at all?
04:24it's definitely a new way of working because um
04:29It's so you really have to be
04:32like like relinquish control and just like go with what happens and um
04:38But I think he creates such a kind environment that it's not an like he's not an intimidating person
04:43He's a very like warm embracing person. Um, so it really
04:48It makes you feel like safe to to try whatever. Yeah, I had a lot more confidence this time to just um
04:56like come with ideas and uh
04:58And also I just feel like my knowledge of the character and the universe and the world has matured so much
05:04So I felt more comfortable in that space the first time around. I was just like i'm just learning, you know
05:09I'm like learning the ropes. Um, and this time still there's like so much to always learn
05:15but it's really fun to figure out how to
05:19You know marry the things that are canon about the character and also explore the things that we bring as actors
05:25into the mcu
05:26And to me the most exciting journey is like i'm a fan of these movies and a fan of these characters
05:31just as an audience member way before making these movies and the the the most exciting thing is to see the marriage of
05:38Really an actor with what is canon and and the mcu with what is canon and and and it's so fun
05:46And then also if you pluck those characters
05:48Into new environments, it's then then you have the chance to imagine what they would be in those spaces
05:54So for example with valkyrie, it's like if she comes to earth like what what does that mean for her?
06:00Does she become a musical theater fan? Yeah, maybe she does and she loves phantom of the opera and that's like fun
06:06You know, it doesn't take anything away from what exists in the comics
06:09It's just expanding on what we know and understand and love about the character
06:13Oh
06:16Should we help him and eventually great. I also want to ask about working with russell crowe as zeus, uh, because it's such a
06:24Bombastic performance, but also that costume that he has is just perfect
06:29Well, that's like yeah, it's a nice little homage to gladiator with the breastplate and stuff
06:33And then also like the little tutu thing
06:37But also full credit to him, you know, he's like, oh, yeah powerhouse of an actor and to be able to embrace that and go
06:42Okay, I know what they're doing. Yeah, they're self-deprecating. He was like, okay and i'll play along and hold the whole
06:47Him. Oh, yeah. Yeah
06:50No, that's self-deprecating kind of make a fool of myself kind of
06:54Attitude that he was down for was was brilliant
06:56Yeah, and and brought such a another surprising element to the space that that I think audiences would have expected
07:03And you do get the chance to work with a new weapon in this one, too
07:05You get to work with that thunderbolt. I'm just curious because it doesn't seem super wieldy. How do you fight with that?
07:10no, it's pretty hard and to be honest like I
07:13Give me a couple more months with that thunderbolt and I might have really learned some tricks
07:17I got okay with it
07:18But russell crowe is so good and I hope he doesn't mind that i'm saying this but I like watched him
07:25He would rehearse sometimes outside of my trailer with it and um, I would watch him
07:31Because he's really good he's like so so fantastic at it
07:34but I mean
07:35that's the thing is like you spend I remember when I had
07:38Dragon fang and it was like I was first training with that weapon and my two daggers
07:42I would spend so much time they become like you're you're become intimate with them in a way. So
07:47Um, the thunderbolt was fun to wield but it's not it's not my weapon
07:51So I forgive myself for not being uh perfect at it. This movie is a lot about intimate relationship with weapons
07:56I know that is like the funniest thing because that was actually something that really developed in the course of shooting
08:03The film and then seeing it last night, especially it works like a charm. It's just like so so funny. Are you packed?
08:12Yes, what I really love about your performance is just the contrast that exists between jane foster and mighty thorn
08:18You carry yourself very differently in both parts of that role
08:20I'm curious just to what extent you compartmentalized the performances and just saw them as different things
08:26yeah, I I absolutely was I was very grateful to have
08:30kind of the human and the superhero aspects because I think it's so
08:35meaningful to um
08:38Get to see someone who can be quite powerful and also have a lot of
08:42Vulnerability. Um, I think there's kind of a misunderstanding that like a feminist character is just like badass tough
08:49Person and I find it much more masculine. Yeah, I feel like
08:53it's very human to have all of the sides, you know, the vulnerability the
09:00challenges the weakness the
09:02Finding strength finding power. Um is something I can relate to a lot more
09:07I just want to say that was very very impressive what you did back there
09:10So this is kind of a strange question five years into your marvel tenure
09:13But I am curious is valkyrie her name or is her name brunhilde and valkyrie is her title?
09:19you know
09:21That's an interesting question
09:24Which I don't know
09:27I I this is the thing i'm i'm I can be bad at spoilers
09:31I give spoilers sometimes and I don't mean to and so I feel like i'm going to withhold that information
09:36but I think that
09:38Fans might think that we don't have an answer and there is one
09:42um
09:44and
09:46It's cool. Nice
09:48I love that. That's great. Okay, we should go