Chris Hemsworth, Thor: The Dark World interview

The God of Thunder (aka Chris Hemsworth) took time out from his busy schedule to speak to the Xtreme Entertainment Network about his new film, Thor: The Dark World. It’s hammer time!

One of the most anticipated films of the year, Thor: The Dark World sees Chris Hemsworth reprising his role as the super-heroic demigod, along with the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins all returning for a second outing. This time, the Nine Realms and Earth are in danger from a sinister threat in the shape of the Dark Elves and their leader, Malekith the Accursed  (Christopher Eccleston), forcing the God of Thunder to team up with Loki in order to defeat the evil forces.

Chris Hemsworth gives us the lowdown on what we can expect from the sequel, and how lightening can indeed strike twice…

We have seen Thor develop hugely from the first movie to this, so how do you feel that you have developed as an actor during that process?   Every film I look back and go “now I get it” and then I start the next one and go “I don’t have a clue what I am doing”’. It is nice return to a character for the third time and tackle it in a different way and with a different director as they brings a whole new set of ideas and influences. I think I have grown up and I think that that echoes into your work. It was nice to have a more mature Thor who was less petulant and arrogant, as he was in the first film at times. That transition of him understanding the darker side of the throne and the responsibility and the sacrifices was fun to play.

The trust that grew between Thor and Loki is a big part of the film. Having done a number of films together, do you feel you trust each other more in real life too?   Yes this is the third film that we have done together, so you do spend a chunk of your time getting to know each other. We just picked up where we left off and we have developed a great friendship along the way. From the beginning, we were lucky because we had this chemistry and we share the same kind of enthusiasm, so we have a great relationship.

You have two brothers. I was wondering if you drew on your relationships with them for your interactions with Loki? Is there much competition between the Hemsworths?   None of them have tried to take over the universe just yet, but we are competitive. We are competitive in everything from sport, back-yard cricket, surfing, right up to who is controlling the remote control when we are watching TV. However, in this industry all three of us understand the frailty and the inconsistency of the work. We help each other with auditions, and always have, and whatever scripts we are working on. We are not in direct competition and it is more like a team effort than anything else.

The scene where they are in the sky-ship exiting Asgard, Tom and I were pretty insistent that it had to feel like when you are in the backseat with your siblings – we couldn’t get a hundred meters down the road before the three of us are like “Get off me. Don’t touch me.” So those ideas certainly played into that scene. You understand what it is like to have that love/hate thing. You would do anything for them and yet the simplest things annoy you. I did try to draw on experiences that I have been through and could empathise with the frustration.

It seems that people really do love Loki. What do you think it is about this character that people seem to love, perhaps more even than Thor?   Let me tell you what I love about Loki. I don’t think that it was ever the plan to have Loki in this many films but, purely to do with everything that Tom brought to the table in the first one. He was incredible and the mixture of strength, villainous, mischief and vulnerability is just such an asset. You can immediately empathise with this misunderstood guy. My hat goes off to Tom as he has done such an incredible job in every film. Hopefully we can keep sneaking him in more.

A lot of this film was shot in London. How different is it filming in the UK compared to Hollywood?   The interesting thing about Hollywood is not a lot of stuff is shot there now but once upon a time it did. It is predominately sets and studios. There are incredibly studios here but there are brilliant locations to take advantage of. I love the aesthetic this film has as you get to see London – most of these films are set with New York or American cities as the backdrop. I do love shooting here.

The Marvel universe is getting more fantastic and more out there, so I was wondering how the actors stay grounded whilst still being true to the characters?   I remember Anthony Hopkins saying something to me when we first walked on set on the first Thor film – we were in our outfits and he had the eye patch – he just looked at me and said “There’s no acting required here”. I have always remembered that!

Mark Pilkington