Although the character had appeared in multiple films already, including two solo pictures and two Avengers team-up movies, it felt like Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wasn't "cracked" until the release of "Thor: Ragnarok" in 2017. Thor had previously been a vague character, distantly heroic, and blusteringly confident, with vague superpowers and an uncertain godhood status. He looked and spoke like a Norse deity, but was actually a superpowered alien from another dimension. Thor's relationship with the other superheroes
on the Avengers wasn't warm, nor was it cold, really. He merely fought alongside them in a somewhat generic fashion, wielding a hammer as his primary weapon and summoning lightning with a wave of his hand.
In "Ragnarok," however, directed by Taika Waititi, Thor became a comedy character. His bluster was transformed into undue confidence, his old-world speech into a form of baffled cluelessness. The middle portion of "Ragnarok" takes place on a garbage-strewn alien planet called Sakaar, where Thor is forced by the local dictator (Jeff Goldblum) to fight in a gladiatorial arena. By coincidence, his old teammate, the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), is also on this planet, as is the recognizable Norse warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson). Thor is very much out of his element in "Ragnarok," but is attempting to accept everything with good humor. The film is generally light and much funnier than the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Waititi's sense of humor is loose and whimsical. He is also known for "What We Do in the Shadows," "Our Flag Means Death," and the new "Time Bandits" series, revealing his fondness for comedy/fantasy blends. He also employs a lot of improv comedy, allowing his actors to naturally find the humor within a scene. It seems, though, that Chris Hemsworth wasn't fond of improv, and it wasn't his forte. He said as much in a recent interview with Men's Health Magazine.
Read more: 10 Completed Movies That Were Never Released
Chris Hemsworth Wasn't Terribly Comfortable With The Improv In Thor: Ragnarok
Hemsworth noted one scene in particular that made him nervous. There was a moment, before Thor, the Hulk, and Valkyrie attempted to escape Sakaar, where they reconnoitered and went over their plan. They all rambled a little bit, dropping in their own improvised lines in between their scripted ones, trying to punch up the scene with some light comedy. Hemsworth had never studied comedy too closely, beginning his professional acting career at age 19 in his native Australia. His first big break came in 2004 when he took on a regular role on the Aussie soap opera "Home and Away," ultimately appearing on 189 episodes. His first major motion picture was 2009's "Star Trek," wherein he played the short-lived father of the baby James T. Kirk. None of his roles really required that he be funny.
"Thor: Ragnarok" put his feet to the comedic fire, however, and he was suddenly asked to improvise next to expert actors like Thompson and Ruffalo. He noted that improv makes him giggle, and that giggling can ruin a take. He had to fight not to feel like "a bunch of naughty kids at school." He continued:
"You try not to laugh, and then you try to remember your lines, and you're trying to imrpov and be creative and not screw it up, and then there's money being spent trying to capture this scene, and we're throwing it out the door as we fumble our way through it. [...] It was good stress."
Had the scene been for a lightweight, low-budget indie movie, Hemsworth may not have felt as much pressure, but "Ragnarok" was a $180 million SFX bonanza for a successful and long-running fantasy franchise. Wasting a whole day with comedic improv wasn't an option when hundreds of people are on set at any given moment. Hemsworth, then, had to be sharp. And even if he was comfortable with the superhero character, being funny was difficult.
Flying is easy. Comedy is hard.
If you're looking for the easiest way to keep up with all the major movie and TV news, why not sign up to our free newsletter?
Read the original article on SlashFilm.
