THOR: THE DARK WORLD (Hemsworth Updates)

• THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Chris Hemsworth

Thor: The Dark World is currently filming as it eyes a November 2013 release. Recently, Prestige Hong Kong got to sit down with star Chris Hemsworth and talk about the film and the phenomena that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Talking about director Alan Taylor, Hemsworth said: "I love the way he adds an incredibly organic element to the fantastical world of Thrones, and I think that’s what Thor could benefit from. It’s grounded in reality, no matter how mythical or science-fiction-like it becomes. There’s a truth to it all. Certainly, working with him now, you can see he doesn’t want Thor or the Asgardians to seem like some distant race or god-like. He still wants them to be relatable."

Hemsworth was then asked about his 'routines' for getting into character: "For Thor there’s a lot of ongoing reading and rereading of the script. I have a guy that I work with a lot who’s a voice coach, but also far more than that. We pull scripts apart and go into who these people are; his whole attitude of approaching a character is, instead of trying to mimic something or work out technically how you do that, it’s more why does someone speak like that. What’s in your personality or nature, or your past that has moulded you into sounding like this? That then raises a whole lot of questions about the character – which is great. You do that all the way through the film, even afterwards it’s hard to switch off sometimes."

Thor & Sif

Speaking of how Thor speaks, Prestige Hong Kong asked him why the English accent was chosen for the Norse god. "For whatever reason, it just seems to fit that world. Probably for no other reason than that it’s the way it’s been done in history. We associate Shakespearean speak [with god-like beings] because so many British actors have done it over the years. It resonates with the audience. Also, we had Anthony Hopkins, who is Welsh but has similar tones. I certainly couldn’t play him as Australian because people would think, “That’s Crocodile Dundee!”

When asked about the atmosphere on The Avengers, it sounds like the cast were like a bunch of kids having fun: "Most of the time we’re all on set together and it just became a laugh for all of us. We sort of fed off [the energy of] each other and before you know it, someone has to step in and say, “Come on, we’re trying to shoot a movie here!” Robert Downey Jr obviously has an incredible sense of humour and wit about him, which you see in all his characters. He’s like that in real life. You’re playing catch-up; always 10 steps behind what he’s saying. All those guys I learned something from and admired."

Directed by Alan Taylor, the sequel hits theaters on November 8, 2013. Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Jaimie Alexander, Idris Elba, Zachary Levi, Stellan Skarsgard, Christopher Eccleston, Kat Dennings and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje co-star.