Natalie Portman recalls one sacrifice Chris Hemsworth made before kissing her in 'Thor': "He didn't..."
The Israeli-American beauty Natalie Portman has nothing but good things to say about her 'Thor: Love And Thunder' costar Chris Hemsworth. While both Portman and Hemsworth sizzled on the big screen with their effortless chemistry, the duo had an equally endearing bond off-screen. Opening up about her experience of working with Hemsworth, Portman spilled the beans on a thoughtful act of the actor before their kiss scene. The actress revealed how Hemsworth went to extra lengths just to make sure she felt comfortable.
During an interview with the UK's Capital FM, Portman revealed that Hemsworth made a considerate gesture before their kissing scene. "He's really nice. The day we had a kiss scene, he didn't eat meat that morning because I'm vegan," she shared, as per Daily Mail. She humorously acknowledged how challenging that must have been for Hemsworth, given his intense diet and workout routine for his superhero roles. "He bulks up for the superhero films by eating meat like every half hour," she joked.
Despite the lighthearted remarks, the 'Black Swan' star was genuinely touched by Hemsworth's thoughtfulness, especially since she had never asked him to make such a change. "Like, that was so thoughtful. That's not something I'm angry about or care about, but he was just being thoughtful. He's just a very nice person," she gushed. Portman's 'Thor: Love and Thunder' co-star, Tessa Thompson, also chimed in with a playful remark, saying, "I didn't even know [Hemsworth] could go without eating meat."
Talking about Portman and Hemsworth's kissing scene, the duo shared the difficulties of filming the kissing scenes while appearing on 'The Graham Norton Show', as per Yahoo! Entertainment. The couple opened up about the challenge they faced during their kissing scenes, which was attributed to their significant height difference. Additionally, the difference also risked making their kissing scenes look awkward. Portman joked about how her petite stature made Hemsworth appear even larger. "I can make anyone look huge. I'm extraordinarily short," she admitted. For context, Portman is 5'3'', while Hemsworth stands at an incredible 6'3'', making their height difference a full foot. This gap invited creative solutions on set, which included the use of ramps to make their kissing scenes more natural.
The ramp not only helped the framing of their scenes but also saved Hemsworth from straining his neck. As Portman humorously explained, "They usually had some sort of ramp that I would walk up and land somewhere near his face." To maintain the illusion for audiences, most of their kisses were filmed in close-up shots where the ramp wasn’t visible. In 'Thor: The Dark World,' one scene was cleverly staged with Hemsworth standing on a lower balcony step than Portman, making the kiss appear seamless and romantic. Notably, Portman and Hemsworth star together in 'Thor,' 'Thor: The Dark World,' and 'Thor: Love and Thunder,' all available on Disney+. Portman returned for 'Thor: Love and Thunder' but the future of Thor films remains uncertain. While a prequel is possible, Marvel currently focuses on introducing new characters.