After a decade since her last appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Natalie Portman is back in the franchise for Thor: Love and Thunder.
But as she suits up to become The Mighty Thor, the Academy award-winning actress spoke with Vogue Australia about how she felt like an “outsider” during the filming of Thor: Love and Thunder.
The Marvel star shared that while it was “incredible” and “surreal” to return to the franchise, Portman recalled that she felt like a “newbie” who was “trying to fit in” because her co-stars, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, and director, Taika Waititi, previously worked together on Thor: Ragnarok.
“It’s so strange when something is very familiar, but also, you’re kind of the new kid,” Portman said. “Because Chris [Hemsworth] and Tessa [Thompson] and Taika [Waititi] had worked together on Ragnarok, and so successfully and so it was like they were all reuniting and I was this newbie in there trying to figure out how to fit in.”
She added: “But also, they’re just the nicest people, and also, I know Chris [Hemsworth] and Tessa [Thompson] so well from previous work together, and I had done Thor movies twice before. So, there was a lot of familiarity and comfort in that world, too, but it was this weird mix of being the veteran and the newbie at the same time. […] I was there at the beginning, but at the same time, [I felt like] the outsider to this group.”
While Thor: Love and Thunder is the first time that Portman has worked with Hemsworth and Thompson together on the same project, the Black Swan star felt familiar with both actors as she collaborated with them on separate films.
Portman has previously worked with Hemsworth on Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013), while she and Thompson starred in the sci-fi film Annihilation (2018).
As for Waititi, Portman expressed that seeing the director’s spontaneity was “extraordinary.”
“[The comedy in the movie] was so fun. It was so great to have spontaneity demanded of you at all times. I mean, demanded is a hard word. Taika [Waititi] is no taskmaster, but he really wants everything to be different all the time and to be constantly generating ideas, and to see his ability to do that throughout the day is extraordinary,” Portman recounted.
“Just to witness it is amazing, and then to try and jump in and be part of it was also so fun,” she continued.
Portman debuted in the MCU as astrophysicist Jane Foster in Thor (2011) and later reprised the role in Thor: The Dark World (2013). The actress had not appeared in Thor: Ragnarok (2017) as she abruptly left the franchise.
Years later, with a red cape and an enchanted hammer in hand, Portman reprised her role as Foster, who also happened to be The Mighty Thor, in Thor: Love and Thunder.
Jane’s about to bring a whole new meaning to Mighty 💪
Get ready for Marvel Studios’ #ThorLoveAndThunder only in theaters July 8. Get tickets now: https://t.co/qFEBBRjcqo pic.twitter.com/nP1fdLxEVn
— Thor (@thorofficial) June 16, 2022
Thor: Love and Thunder is now showing in theaters.
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