The Goddess of Thunder: Natalie Portman on taking over the role of ‘Thor’

It came quite as a surprise to many to see Natalie Portman return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially after her ‘battle’ with marvel regarding Thor: The Dark World.

Fast forward to present day, the Hollywood star is ready to take on the role of Thor from Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Love and Thunder.

For the actress, it isn’t quite as simply as that, as she revealed what she had to put up with in her return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

According to Natalie Portman, she was told to get ‘as big as possible’ before she could return to the role.

While speaking with Variety magazine, she disclosed her physical transformation for the film while comparing it with her previous film.

“On Black Swan, I was asked to get as small as possible.” She said,

“Here, I was asked to get as big as possible. That’s an amazing challenge — and also state of mind as a woman.”

She revealed that when she starred in the psychological thriller, she had to weigh a significant 98 pounds (44.4 kg or 1568 ounces), compared to returning as Jane Foster.

Portman also noted how her physicality eventually shaped how she had to carry herself, revealing:

“To have this reaction and be seen as big, you realise, ‘Oh, this must be so different, to walk through the world like this,’”

“When you’re small — and also, I think, because I started as a kid — a lot of times I feel young or little or, like, a pat-on-the-head kind of person. And I present myself that way, too, because of that.”

Speaking of the upcoming superhero flick, the film’s director, Taika Waititi notes how taking up the role of Thor would shape the film’s story and Chris Hemsworth character.

“It’s been about eight years,” he said.

“She’s had a whole other life, and then the love of your life comes back on the scene, and is now dressed like you. It’s a real mind f**k for Thor.”

He also spoke of how he wanted to bring back Portman and reinvent her character completely.

“You don’t want Natalie coming back and playing that same character who is walking around with science equipment.

“You know, while Thor’s flying around, she’s left on Earth, tapping her foot going, ‘When’s he going to be back?’ That’s boring. You want her to be part of the adventure,” he said.

Thor: Love and Thunder is set for a July 8 release date.