Thor: Love and Thunder star Chris Hemsworth teased Russell Crowe's "mind-blowing" performance as the Greek god, Zeus.

"I never thought I’d see the day where Russell would appear on screen with hints at 'Gladiator' imagery, yet with a wink -- totally self-deprecating," Hemsworth said in an interview with Disney. "He didn't hold back. I'm such a fan. I have been since I first started acting. There's such a weight and a seriousness to his performances and to him, as an individual, from afar. But meeting him, he has a great sense of humor and did whatever [director Taika Waititi] asked on set, which was mind-blowing. And it was really fun to play with the mythology, going from Norse to Greek mythology -- Taika pulls all these worlds together."

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Hemsworth's co-star, Natalie Portman, who will reprise her role as Jane Foster and make her debut as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's new God of Thunder, also said that Crowe approached the role of Zeus with "a great sense of humor." She said, "It was fun to see him be silly. I think we're so used to him in these very strong, heroic roles, so it was fun to see him be able to let loose."

The first trailer for Thor: Love and Thunder provided fans with a first look at Crowe in his MCU debut as the leader of the Olympians. In a previous interview, Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi described Crowe's portrayal as "a way you've never seen Russell before." "I consider Russell a friend, and I forget that there are some friends I have who are really incredible at what they do," he said. "When I was on set with Russell, I was like, 'Oh shit, that's right! You're Russell Crowe! You're a really amazing actor!"

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Love and Thunder will pick up after the events of 2019's Avengers: Endgame. According to the official synopsis, Love and Thunder will see Thor, joined by the Guardians of the Galaxy, Jane Foster and King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), go up against the villainous Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who seeks the extinction of the gods. According to director Taika Waititi, Bale's Gorr is one of the best villains the MCU has seen yet.

Waititi has also stated that Love and Thunder will not only be "crazier," but much more emotional than its previous film, Thor: Ragnarok. "It's crazier. I'll tell you what's different," he said. "There'll be far more emotion in this film. And a lot more love. And a lot more thunder. And a lot more Thor, if you've seen the photos."

Thor: Love and Thunder arrives in theaters on July 8.

Source: Disney, via The Direct