‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ Director Taika Waititi Reveals Chris Hemsworth’s Secret Acting Talent: ‘Chris Is Incredible’
Action films fill Chris Hemsworth’s list of movies. The actor who nearly quit show business is about to play Thor for the eighth time (four solo movies and four Avengers outings). Those eight movies are carefully scripted to fit into the intricate Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Hemsworth’s hidden talent shows up from time to time even though fans might not notice. Now, Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi reveals Hemsworth’s secret acting talent ranks with some of the best.
Chris Hemsworth’s list of movies is heavy on action roles
Starting with Star Trek, which in a way helped him land Thor, and continuing with outings such as Snow White and the Huntsman, Rush, and Men in Black International, many of Chris Hemsworth’s films are firmly action movies.
Still, Hemsworth has branched out at times, too. Bad Times at the El Royale saw the Australian actor make a departure to more dramatic fare in 2018. Ghostbusters (2016) included some action, though Hemsworth wasn’t always in the middle of it. That movie and Vacation (2015) put Hemsworth’s comedy chops on display, and he wasn’t bad at breaking from the mold of an action-movie star.
As Thor: Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi revealed, Hemsworth has a secret acting talent that’s essential for comic actors.
Taika Waititi reveals Hemsworth’s hidden acting talent
Waititi and Hemsworth hid their friendship from Marvel as the studio searched for a Thor: Ragnarok director, but the New Zealand actor, writer, and director wouldn’t lie about the Aussie’s acting talents while hooked up to a lie detector machine, would he? If he lied, then he did a fantastic job of it.
Waititi and fellow Kiwi Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords) hooked themselves up to a lie detector for a Vanity Fair interview (via YouTube) and asked each other questions. During their exchange, Waititi revealed Hemsworth excels at improvising.
Rhys Darby: “You’ve said this about improvising: ‘I figure out who’s good at it and who’s not and only allow the people who are good at it to do it.’”
Taika Waititi: “Well, that’s true, because not everyone’s good at it.”
Darby: [shows picture of Chris Hemsworth] “With regards to the improvising, is this man good at it?”
Waititi: “Chris is incredible at improvising, yes.”
Taika Waititi reveals improvisation is Chris Hemsworth’s secret acting talent
As it turns out, Hemsworth’s hidden talent for comedic improvisation might have saved the Thor franchise. Marvel chief Kevin Feige once said Hemsworth’s improv moments in Thor: The Dark World — such as hanging Mjolnir on Jane’s coat rack — inspired the studio to move forward with the two Waititi movies to follow.
Now, Hemsworth has an MCU record all to himself — the only actor to star in four solo movies. It seems he has his secret improv skill to thank for it.
Everything we know about ‘Thor: Love and Thunder,’ including Christian Bale as the villain Gorr the God Butcher
Hemsworth’s hidden improvisation talents made for some of the best moments in The Dark World, and it paved the way for the fan-favorite Ragnarok. With Waititi and Hemsworth teaming up again, Thor: Love and Thunder has the potential to be the best (or the first?) space superhero rom-com ever.
The Thor: Love and Thunder synopsis reads:
“The film finds Thor on a journey, unlike anything he’s ever faced — a quest for inner peace. But his retirement is interrupted by a galactic killer known as Gorr the God Butcher, who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who — to Thor’s surprise — inexplicably wields his magical hammer, Mjolnir, as the Mighty Thor. Together, they embark upon a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher’s vengeance and stop him before it’s too late.”
It’s up to Thor to save himself and the universe from Christian Bale’s villainous Gorr, but the trailers show a love story woven into the cosmic action.
In addition to Hemsworth as Thor and Bale as Gorr, Natalie Portman (Jane Foster/Mighty Thor), Tessa Thompson (Valkyrie), and Waititi (Korg) star. Love and Thunder also sees several Oscar winners appear opposite Hemsworth.
Thor: Love and Thunder is rated PG-13 and premieres exclusively in theaters on July 8.
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