Thor: Love and Thunder star Natalie Portman discussed bulking up to play the Goddess of Thunder.
Portman, who will return as Jane Foster in next year's fourth Thor film, talked to Vanity Fair and revealed a bit about her training regimen. "It was really fun," Portman said. "I worked with a trainer, Naomi Pendergast, for, I think it was, four months before shooting, and then obviously all the way through filming. We did a lot of weight training and a lot of protein shakes—heavyweight training that I haven’t ever done before. Of course, I’ve never really aimed to get bulky. It was very physical, so it was a lot of both agility work and also strength work."
Portman went on to say that, like Black Swan before it, the physical training helped put her in the mindset of the character she's playing in Thor 4.
"It definitely helps you get into character, and it’s definitely changed the way I move. You walk differently; you feel different. I mean, it’s so wild to feel strong for the first time in my life."
While Portman's return and her lifting of Mjolnir have been known for some time now, the details of how exactly Jane will become the Mighty Thor are currently unknown. Love and Thunder will presumably kick off with Thor and the Guardians hanging out post-Avengers: Endgame, as many members of the galactic team are confirmed to be in the film. At some point, they'll part ways, and Thor, Valkyrie, Korg, and the surviving Asgardians will have to face off against Christian Bale's Gorr the God Butcher. Luckily, Jane's reappearance and powerup, along with the long-awaited return of Jamie Alexander's Sif, will help even the odds.
The movie will also see director Taika Waititi push the boundaries of the fantastical world. In Thor: Ragnarok, he used a new film technology to bring to life the jaw-dropping flashback of the Valkyries fighting Hela. Thor 4 will use groundbreaking VFX tech to take things to another level, promising one of the most visually stunning Marvel Cinematic Universe films to date.
To see Portman's hard work in action as she lifts the hammer, check out Thor: Love and Thunder when it hits theaters on May 6, 2022.
Source: Vanity Fair