Chris Hemsworth confesses that the pressure of becoming Thor, the god of thunder, sent him scuttling to the gym. But, fired up, he made the part his own, writes DONALD CLARKE
THE FIRST blockbuster of summer has been heard tweeting in the undergrowth. Over the last few years, films such as Iron Man, Star Trekand Wolverinehave, in the later weeks of April, offered a warning that the warm months are on their way.
This year's opening salvo in the movie wars is yet another superhero picture. Or is it? The mighty Thorhas always occupied a peculiar position in Marvel Comics theology. Wielder of a mighty hammer, wearer of a horned hat, Thorhas, like super friends such as Spider-Man, Captain Americaand Iron Man, made it his business to fight crime. But, having all the attributes and accoutrements of a Norse God, he surely occupies a higher plane than that of those mortal hyper-beings. After all, he was raised in the mythical kingdom of Asgard. (Spider-Man is from Brooklyn).
At any rate, young Chris Hemsworth is carrying a great deal of baggage on his not insubstantial shoulders. A 27-year-old Australian, apparently manufactured by the same firm that made Uluru, he finds himself playing the god of thunder in an entertaining film by (of all people) Kenneth Branagh.
Among the problems he has had to face is the usual exhaustive analysis on the internet. Who is this guy? He’s too big. He’s too small. He’s too Antipodean. It must be difficult to avoid glancing at this stuff.
“It’s better now,” he laughs. “I made the mistake of reading it at the beginning. Some people were supporting me. Some people were not. And they were sure yelling at one another. I thought: what have I walked into here? Somebody was saying: he’s too small. So that got me into the gym. It fired me to make the part my own.”
On balance, you’d have to say that Hemsworth has succeeded in that objective. An amusing, amiable man, dressed today in a gorgeously crisp grey suit, Hemsworth manages to bring humour to the role without lunging into pastiche. Though the film is funny, it’s never quite ludicrous.
“Oh yeah we were aware that camp might be a problem,” he laughs. “There I am in a red cape and an otherworldly costume and long blonde hair. And I am strolling through Santa Fe. Look, luckily there was a nice setup at the beginning in Asgard. You get a good sense of where they are from. I think you buy it all.
“There is an element of humour which allows that to be bit easier. But it’s a funny thing. Even though the film is about gods, the job is still to make it truthful.”
That's about as precious as Chris gets. Raised in Melbourne and in various parts of the Northern Territories, Hemsworth does not seem at home with the lovey tendency. His father worked in child protection and, after school, Chris considered doing that himself. You hardly need to be told that a successful audition for one of two popular Australian soap operas changed his plans. Critics make fun of Neighboursand Home and Away(with some reason), but an astonishing number of good actors have passed through their portals. Heath Ledger, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Naomi Watts and Isla Fisher have all appeared in one or the other. Hemsworth played Kim Hyde in Home and Awayfor four years.
“It was incredible training,” he says. “You can’t fault it. You are in front of camera for five days a week. If you can make a bad line work, if you can make it seem real, then that is an achievement. My whole approach changed. I would say: ‘Oh my character wouldn’t say that. Why doesn’t he say this.’ And I’d get told: ‘You’re not paid to write dialogue. You’re paid to turn up and do it on time.’”
Hemsworth admits that he always had his sights set on Hollywood. When his contract was up, he bravely packed his rucksack and, without any work lined up, headed for California. Initially, he did well, getting small parts in films and on TV. Then he hit an eight-month drought. He quakes slightly at the memory.
“I’d initially thought: this is easy. Then I had a long period doing nothing. I realised that I was putting way too much pressure on myself. It’s funny. You get this sense of desperation attached to you and that is never appealing. You feel you’re not going to get the part and, partly as a result of that, you don’t get it.”
Things began looking up when JJ Abrams cast him in a small, but significant role in his recent, excellent take on Star Trek. Yes, Chris Hemsworth got to play Captain Kirk's father.That certainly brightens up the CV. As he tells it, he did the audition at Abrams's desk and was offered the part immediately.
Trekkers will be disappointed to hear that he didn’t spend days beavering through the old episodes or boning up on non-canonical novels.
"No sorry. I knew nothing about Star Trek. As far as I was concerned it was just a story about a guy who has to give his life on the same day that his son is being born. I didn't really know it was such a big deal until afterwards. That was probably a good thing on balance."
That success changed his attitude. He now claims that he is totally relaxed about the ups and downs of this tricky business. If he gets the part then that’s great. If the director goes another way he can live with that too.
Life does sound pretty rosy. Later this year, he will appear in a remake of Red Dawn, John Milius's terrifyingly right-wing film about Communist invaders, and The Cabin in the Woods,a ghost story from Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.He recently got married to Elsa Pataky, a Spanish actor, and the couple have set up home in one of the less hectic, seaside quarters of Los Angeles.
“Yeah, we live in Venice,” he says. “I lived up in Hollywood for a while. That was beneficial in business terms. But it ended up being too consuming. Your life development is more important. So I had to get out of there. Having got away, I find it easier to be objective about the film world.” He does miss Australia, but at least he gets to surf in LA.
“That is a reminder of home. Actually, talking about that, I’ve got this buddy from Limerick who showed me photographs of these big waves in Ireland. I’ve got to get there. He also showed me video of these guys – the Rubberbandits. That’s crazy. The Horse Outside? Great.”
But before he gets back to the board, there is still the business of promoting Thor. Marvel is positioning the project as part of a massed drive towards the 2012 release of The Avengers. Directed by Joss Whedon, the picture will bring together Thor, The Hulk, Iron Manand Captain America. Each of the standalone films has featured a nod towards the looming ensemble piece. Lord knows how the accountants will react if Thoror the upcoming (note title) Captain America: The First Avengerfails. Chris must feel pressure during the promotional round.
"I don't know," he laughs. "I guess I'd rather be doing something else than talk about myself. I did a bit of media training when I was doing Home and Away. I guess I knew what I was doing after that. I guess we'll know when this interview is over. Ha ha!" I think he's doing all right.
IN PREPARATION for Joss Whedon’s upcoming Avengers film, Marvel has been peppering its recent releases with sly references to the project. Check out the solo outings
THE INCREDIBLE HULK
Ed Norton starred as Bruce Banner, alter ego of the titular green anger machine, in a 2008 film that, though formally a sequel to Ang Lee's 2003 adventure, played somewhat like a reboot. Following obscure disagreements with the producers, Ed will be replaced by Mark Ruffalo for The Avengers.
CAPTAIN AMERICA
This summer it's Avengersa-go-go. Later in the season, Chris Evans will star as the patriotic hero who, unnoticed by historians, helped the Allies defeat The Third Reich. Hang on. How's that going to work? Marvel nuts will recall that, following those early adventures, Cap underwent a convenient bout of suspended animation. He'll be back for The Avengers.
HAWKEYE
Pay close attention while watching Thorand, during one gloomy action scene, you will catch a glimpse of Jeremy Renner wielding a bow and arrow. What's that about? Renner will play Hawkeye, who uses that weapon to defeat super bad-guys, in The Avengers.
NICK FURY
If you've wondered why Samuel L Jackson keeps making cameos as Nick Fury in Marvel films – you can spot him in Thorand both Iron Manfilms – you now know the answer. Fury, special agent of Shield, the part played by Sam, is a key organising force in The Avengers.
BLACK WIDOW
Did you catch Scarlett Johansson's fleeting performance as Natasha Romanoff – AKA The Black Widow– in Iron Man 2? It wouldn't have required much blinking to miss it.
Fret not. The Widow,another agent of Shield, a shadowy law-enforcement agency, will be spinning her webs in the ensemble piece.
IRON MAN
Robert Downey Jr confirmed his return from addiction hell with his hilarious performance as Tony Stark, dissolute billionaire, in Jon Favreau's hugely popular 2008 film and its equally larksome 2010 sequel. Possessor of a cool metal suit that shoots all kinds of killer beams, Mr Stark is a key member of The Avengers.
