Chris Hemsworth has once again reflected on his role in the poor reception to Thor: Love and Thunder, shouldering the blame for leaning too much into the extreme silliness of the film.
In a new cover story with Vanity Fair, Hemsworth explained, “I got caught up in the improv and the wackiness, and I became a parody of myself. I didn’t stick the landing.”
The star of the Thor franchise previously spoke about the fourth installment with GQ last year, detailing his worry that the movie may have been “too silly,” prompting him to “do some other stuff for a while.”
In the interview with Vanity Fair, it’s clear Hemsworth’s feelings on the subject have only continued to solidify since then — but he’s torn between his desire to be “taken seriously” by directors like Greta Gerwig and Steven Spielberg, while also believing that “he owes the audience another Thor after what felt like a whiff.”
Throughout the profile, Hemsworth also emphasized how grateful he is for the life-changing opportunity to have been offered the role of Thor as a then 25-year-old unknown actor.
Vanity Fair also reached out to his Thor: Ragnarok co-star Cate Blanchett, who confirmed the value of his lighthearted energy on set. “I had no idea what a goofball he is. He is a complete goofball,” she shared. “He sets the tone on set — everyone is valued. Everyone is welcome. I adore and admire him deeply.”
Longtime Marvel co-star and Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. also provided a positive perspective, telling Vanity Fair, “Thor as a character was super tricky to adapt — lots of implied limitations — but he and Ken Branagh figured out how to transcend, make him somehow relatable but godlike.”
He continued, “Hemsworth is, in my opinion, the most complex psyche out of all us Avengers. He’s got wit and gravitas, but also such restraint, fire and gentleness.”
Thor: Love and Thunder was written and directed by Oscar winner Taika Waititi, who also directed Thor: Ragnarok, but did not pen the script. While Thor: Ragnarok was received as a much-needed breath of fresh air for the character, many audiences felt the next entry doubled down too heavily on the moments of levity.
While still shouldering the blame for himself, Hemsworth also acknowledged how playing one character for so long started to become grating. “You’re sort of just running on fumes, and then you’re showing up to something with little in the tank and you start to pick things apart: Why am I doing this film? Why isn’t this script better?”
In the realm of that “other stuff” Hemsworth was curious about, he has remained booked and busy. Next, he’ll appear in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga opposite Anya Taylor-Joy, and also has Transformers One on the horizon for September.