Every superhero across Marvel and DC has qualities that make them unique, but the one thing almost every character has in common is a godly physique. When it comes to comic book movie adaptations, this naturally requires the actors to get in impressive shape through an extensive training regimen, both in terms of achieving the coveted six-pack and building an extreme amount of muscle.
Over the years, some actors have come to make their impressive physiques an integral element of their appeal and individually. So, it should come as no surprise that almost all of those jacked stars have tackled superhero roles over the years - such as John Cena, Dwayne Johnson, and Henry Cavill.
One of these actors is Chris Hemsworth, who literally has to resemble a Norse god for his role as Thor in the MCU. Having just recently donned a fat suit to play Avengers: Endgame's broken God of Thunder, Hemsworth will be coming back bigger and fitter than ever for Thor: Love and Thunder, and the Australian star just discussed how he managed to pull it off.
How Did Chris Hemsworth Get Jacked for Thor 4?
In an interview with Disney, Thor: Love and Thunder star Chris Hemsworth explained the brutal training regimen that got him so jacked for his latest Marvel role.
Hemsworth revealed the target weight for him to reach for Love and Thunder was "quite a ways above where [he'd] been before." The actor called the process a "really fun exploration" as they experimented with different exercises and caloric adjustments to get him to the right level and "hold it for four months:"
"This was particularly hard because the target weight we aimed for was quite a ways above where I’d been before. This was probably the biggest and fittest I’ve ever been. We had 12 months where I was at home just training and puppeteering the body and manipulating. We’d try more swimming, then try more martial arts, and adjust calories. It was a really fun exploration. I got really big and fit, but then just had to hold it for four months, which was very hard."
The Australian icon also spoke with extratv to discuss his role in Spiderhead and was asked if he was able to take a break from training for the Netflix role as he remains fully clothed throughout. Hemsworth explained that wasn't the case as he was in preparation for Love and Thunder at the time, which is why "[grows] throughout [Spiderhead] a fair bit:"
"No, because I was training for... I mean it was nice to not take my shirt off, yes. No, I didn't have to chill because I was about to shoot Thor: Love and Thunder, like a month after this said wraps. So, you can't really notice it, but I do grow throughout the film a fair bit. And the suits started to fill out a little, that I was wearing."
When asked if he sees himself dialing back his intense training regimen at any point, the actor shared his love for exercise, but described the preparation to play Thor as "brutal on [his] body:"
"Soon, soon. No, look I enjoy working out, I do. It's become a hobby now, it allows me to kind of live a full life and play with my kids, surf, and do all sorts of stuff. So it was a chore at one point, and now it becomes an addiction, I love it, I do love it. I don't like working out necessarily to get to Thor-size, that is brutal on my body, and just the amount of food and so on."
Did Chris Hemsworth Just Tease his End as Thor?
Everything Thor: Love and Thunder has revealed so far points to Chris Hemsworth's God of Thunder being the biggest he's ever been for the sequel. Obviously, this stems from a lot of hard work from the actor himself, but also on the part of Thor, who will see an intense transformation from his overweight self early in the film.
For an actor with the amount of muscle and weight-lifting experience of Hemsworth, it gradually becomes increasingly hard to make any significant gains, particularly in a short space of time. That naturally led to a lot of experimentation on the part of Hemsworth's team to achieve these hefty weight goals set by either Marvel Studios or director Taika Waititi.
What's particularly interesting about Hemsworth's latest comments is his tease that he will stop his intense regimen "soon." Perhaps the actor was exaggerating just how soon that day will come, or perhaps Hemsworth is looking to leave his Thor days behind him; after all, both the workout and eating requirements will be putting a heavy strain on his body.
For now, there are no signs to indicate Love and Thunder will be Hemsworth's last spin as Thor, but the future ought to become clear when the sequel hits theaters on July 8.
