Chris Hemsworth: ‘Like a fish out of water’

A scene from ‘Thor: The Dark World;’(inset) Chris Hemsworth (Photo by Ruben V. Nepales)

London – “No matter what film I do, I feel like a fish out of water,” confessed the 30-year-old Australian actor, Chris Hemsworth, when we interviewed him at The Dorchester Hotel in London for his latest superhero film, “Thor: The Dark World.”

The charming actor, who is portraying once more the prince of Asgard in this Alan Taylor-helmed film, explained, “I really feel like that always. For a long time, I tried to work on suppressing that fear or distracting myself from that anxiety. But over the years, the last couple of films especially, I have started to see it as a tool. That anxiety and fear just makes me work harder and also prevents me from putting up too much of a wall. I think if you get too comfortable then sometimes you can close off (to being) vulnerable. So being okay to fail is something that is accessible.”

“Thor: The Dark World,” the sequel to 2011’s “Thor” and the eighth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also features Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig, Idris Elba as Heimdall and Sir Anthony Hopkins as Odin, king of Asgard.

In the movie, Thor’s father Odin tells him what not to do but he ignores it. We asked him how rebellious he is in real life when his dad, social services counselor Craig Hemsworth, tells him not to do something.

“Probably as much as every kid,” he replied. “I think that the testing of the rules and boundaries is a way of figuring out what’s your place in the world and what can you get away with. With kids especially, it’s more what you tell them not to do is exactly what they go and do. I notice that with my one-year-old daughter, India Rose (to actress Elsa Pataky, whom he married in December 2010). If you say ‘no’ to something, she thinks it is a game… I have the best relationship with my parents but my dad and I butt heads over things. I guess we are very similar, too. We compete in a very respectable way. It’s an interesting dynamic.”

Chris also shared, “Success for me comes from freedom… to have some choice in the projects and the luxury of being able to be picky. That is the dream. I am absolutely enjoying that. The films I am doing now are things that are not just to pay the bills or because I need to get a foot in the door.”

Chris admitted that he never really dreamt of working in the business of making films when he was a kid. He said, “I remember as a kid watching ‘The Princess Bride,’ ‘The NeverEnding Story’ and ‘Labyrinth,’ and reading books like ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and wanting to exist in those worlds. It was not about becoming an actor and then playing out those roles. I just wanted to be there. It was as simple as that. The older I got, I probably dreamt more about being a professional surfer than I did an actor. I quickly realized I was not good enough to be in that arena.

“It was about when I was finishing high school that it became a reality. I could act and live out some of those fantasies, explore other worlds and other characters’ mindsets.”

For “Thor: The Dark World,” Chris revealed that he did a lot of “good old-fashioned bodybuilding,” like he did for “The Avengers.” He noted, “I ate a lot of protein and all the usual stuff you have heard. This time around, I wanted to be slightly more athletic though and still be flexible and functional and not just be kind of a block… (do) more training that is functional. So I did a lot of muay thai and boxing aside from weightlifting. To get the weight off, on the other hand, I did a lot of cardio, running and eating a whole lot less.”

Chris credits his family for helping him stay grounded in this business. “(They are) the secret of my strength,” he said. “Being with them and spending hours with my daughter is such an anchor back to earth. I think because working so much in the past few years you are all over the place half the time. My daughter instantly forces me to pay attention and it is a beautiful thing.”

Chris Hemsworth: ‘Like a fish out of water’

Source: Mb.com.ph (October 27, 2013 at 10:00PM)

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