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Chris Hemsworth is at his best when he plays Thor. The actor and the superhero are making their return with the standalone Thor: Love and Thunder on Friday, July 8. The film follows a post Avengers: Endgame Thor, whose peace gets disturbed when he has to stop Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) from eliminating all the gods. The superhero recruits his friends Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (Taika Waititi), and his ex Jane Foster (Natalie Portman)—who becomes the Mighty Thor—to join his team and put an end to the vicious villain.
While Love & Thunder has a two-hour run time, there is never a dull moment throughout the film. It is loud, vibrant, and in your face all throughout, and Hemsworth and director Taika Waititi joined forces again on this one, giving their 2017’s Ragnaroksome intense competition. During his interviews about his latest project, Waititi has been referring to Love & Thunder as being “wild” or “bat shit crazy,” and he’s not wrong.
“It’s the craziest thing [Waititi has] ever done. I think that’s what is part of the fun of the journey for the audience is just the twist and the turns it takes,” Hemsworth tells Complex. “You think it’s going this way, and it turns this way, and the unexpected kind of on-the-edge-of-your-seat sort of nature it has is pretty fantastic.”
It’s some of the most genuine laugh-out-loud fun you’ll have in theaters this year, while also showcasing incredible performances from Hemsworth, Portman, and definitely Bale as Gorr. As much as Thor is a powerful superhero, he is equally hilarious and Hemsworth shines the most in the film’s comedic moments.
We caught up with the actor months ahead of the movie’s premiere, and he chatted all about reuniting with Natalie Portman, the surprising cameos, what makes Love & Thunder different than the other movies in the MCU, and more.
It’s been such a long time since the fans got a standalone ‘Thor’ movie, so how does it feel for you to be back in this world and to bring them back in there with you?
Chris Hemsworth: Feels fantastic. Every time I’ve played the character, I’ve loved it and enjoyed it and been very fortunate to have something different to do each time, and that was the case here as well. Taika Waititi directed, also wrote such a beautiful script and a fun script, and again was wacky and wild as all of his films are with a great sense of heart at the center of it. I loved this experience. It was wonderful.
You’re reuniting with Natalie Portman on this one. Can you tell us about what it was like to be back in this space with her?
CH: It was fantastic. We obviously started this journey together, and we’ve been close friends since. And to reunite on-screen and answer a lot of the unanswered questions about their relationship and each character when they parted ways and it was a lot of fun.
Taika said in an interview that this was the “craziest” movie he has ever done—the most over the top. Would you agree with that? And what do you think fans are going to get out of it?
CH: I think they’re going to have a hell of a ride. It is one of the most insane films that he’s done. Same with what I’ve been involved in. And every day was about just pushing the envelope in true Taika Waititi fashion, and so there’s a wild sense of humor at the core of it.
I think it ticks a lot of boxes. It is sort of a romantic comedy-action film, something that I could take my kids to and they’d love and also I’d enjoy. And that’s what it’s about for me, going to the cinema is the experience you get with family, friends and being in a cinema is something you can’t repeat in any living room. It’s a lot of fun.
For sure, you can’t replace that experience that the movie theater brings you. What is it like to feel the intensity and the love that fans have for these films, especially for your character?
CH: Oh look, I’ve always been blown away by it. I have to pinch myself every time I go to a fan event or every time there’s a premiere or something where I interact with, en masse, that many people, and it’s like, wow. There’s such a love and enthusiasm and support for the Marvel Universe across the board. And so to be a part of it, I feel very thankful for it, and it’s shaped a lot of my life and also definitely my career. And every time I step back into the role, it’s obviously so familiar and it’s like meeting up with an old friend.
I know the plot for these movies are very much under wraps, but what do you think is the most special aspect of Love and Thunder?
CH: I think it’s just unpredictable in the vein of what Taika was talking about, saying it’s the craziest thing he’s ever done. I think that’s what’s part of the fun of the journey for the audience is just the twist and the turns it takes. And you think it’s going this way, and it turns this way, and the unexpected kind of on-the-edge-of-your-seat sort of nature it has is pretty fantastic.
The cast is insane, by the way. Each name is bigger than the next. How do you feel about that?
CH: I have the same reaction you have, just so incredibly impressed by the list of people that Taika has been able to put together for this film. And each one of them you get something different from, and they bring something different out in each character, so it’s a fun mash-up.
Thor: Love & Thunder hits theaters Friday, July 8.