"I really missed the audience": Chris Hamsworth in an exclusive interview | Israel today

Nothing can stop Chris Masworth's monstrous momentum.

Not even the corona.

In early 2020, as the whole world pressed the pause button and the film world went into a deep freeze, the Australian star built for Talpiot, who will celebrate 39 next month, found himself busier than ever.

He filmed "Thor: Love and Thunder," the fourth installment in Marvel Studios' super-successful superhero series (during which he reveals our spectacular buttocks).

He starred in "Tyler Rake 2," the sequel to the brutal action hit the Rousseau brothers produced for Netflix in 2020.

He starred in Joseph Kosinski's bizarre psychological thriller "Spider's Head" ("Love in the Sky: Maverick"), which has been at the top of the Netflix watch list in recent weeks.

In between, Masworth also serves as presenter of the perfume brand Hugo Boss, and he even found time to appear in a small guest role alongside his wife, Spanish actress Elsa Petaki (who sells from the "Fast and Furious" movie series), in the action thriller "Interception Mission", while their three children - daughter And two twin boys - spent time on the set.

"Yeah, I was very busy," he laughs.

"I keep saying I'm going to take a break and go on holiday, but great opportunities keep popping up, and I can not refuse. It's very hard to say no to these things. Especially when they's filmed in Australia and do not require me to be away from family for long. "Probably. But right now I'm enjoying every second."

Even now, when he talks to me, Masworth is deep in the cinematic work.

I catch him while filming on the set of "Furiosa", the new and highly anticipated addition of the mythical Australian director George Miller to the "Mad Max" series.

Ania Taylor-Joy ("Queen Gambit") stars and the merchant will play the villain.

"We started filming a few weeks ago," he says.

"Meanwhile, it's like a dream come true. George Miller is considered the god of Australia, and obviously every young Australian actor sees 'Mad Max'. It's like a religious segment. He repeatedly sets the bar for Australian cinema. He's so diverse. He's so diverse. "Can make a movie like 'Babe' and then do 'Road to Rage.' He can do anything. He has all the benefits and all the skills, and he's a great collaborator. He's a true storyteller."

From the set of "Fioriosa" you go straight to an international PR tour to promote "Thor: Love and Thunder". This is the first time you go out on such a world tour since the pre-Corona period. Did you miss it? Quiet?

"The truth is, I really missed the audience. 'Tyler Rake' came out on Netflix right at the beginning of Corona, so I did most of the press interviews from my living room in Zoom, and that was nice. But after a few years in Australia, I'm very, very excited and looking forward to going out again. It's. Especially when it comes to Marvel movies. It's fun to meet the people who've been following this cinematic universe for the last 12-10 years. Who's seen all the movies. Who's read all the comic books, 40-30 years back. There's such a rich history behind this thing. "Such nostalgia. It's a great blessing for me, to be Thor. To be a part of this universe. I can't wait for the movie to come out. I'm totally interested in it happening already."

"Suddenly I felt stuck"

"I've never made a movie like this."

In "The Spider's Head", Photo: EP

Hamsworth has come a long way since he began playing Thor in 2011.

In the early years of Marvel, the Shakespearean-speaking blond god actually emerged as one of the weakest links in the Avengers' superhero team (which also included Iron Man, Captain America, The Green Giant, The Black Widow and Hawkeye).

The first film starring him, directed by Kenneth Branagh, showed potential but struggled to rise and excite on the levels of "Iron Man" and "Captain America", while the second film, "Thor: The Dark World" (2013), directed by Alan Taylor, is already considered To one of the weakest films in the Marvel cinematic universe.

Thor is perceived by fans as gray, dull and outdated.

As a character with whom one cannot identify.

But then something interesting happened.

The merchant suddenly found his groove.

He let go, shedding the invisible weights that weighed on him (and the character), and Thor was suddenly reborn as a superhero very funny, very intense and very unexpected.

The third episode in the series, "Thor: Ragnarok" (2017), directed by Taika Waititi ("Jojo Rabbit"), was the one that heralded the happy and delightful change, and the Schwang went straight into "The Avengers: Infinity War" ( 2018) and "The Avengers: The End of the Game" (2019), which marveled at presenting Thor in a depressing and neglected phase, and which helped establish Masworth's status as "the best Chris" - a long-standing online game that deals with the quality ratings of actors Chris Payne, Chris Pratt, Chris Evans and Chris Hamsworth.

In "Thor: Love and Thunder," which hits theaters this weekend, Hamsworth is reconnected with Whitity (who wrote, directed and starred in a supporting role) to present a romantic, colorful and star-studded space adventure.

The result may not rise to the heights of "Ragnarok," but it certainly has several amusing moments in it, and Masworth has never looked better or more confident in the role.

Aside from "Guardians of the Galaxy" members who pop in to host, the film also stars Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, returning to the Marvel universe for the first time since 2013, and Russell Crowe, who steals the show as the chubby Greek god Zeus.

"A large part of the changes that have taken place in Thor's character are related to me personally," explains the merchant.

"I felt I limited myself in relation to this character. I built the character in a certain way, in a certain spice that I defined according to certain parameters, and suddenly I felt stuck. I felt I needed to explore new areas in this guy. I was afraid that if I got bored, the audience would get bored too. .

"Then I met Taika, and we had an instant click. We found we had the same vision and the same passion to just take it all apart and start over. To reinvent it. It was a great lesson for me and my career, and it's something that applies to all the other films I started working on. So when you go and you feel like you've cracked something, you have to keep looking at things out of the box. You must not approach things from the same angle and place. Once I feel I understand something and I control something - I take it and throw it away. And learning. The realization that I know nothing has become the safest place for me. This is my starting point. From there I come now. When I go to do a job, I do all the necessary research and I make all the possible preparations. "And for experiences that happen along the way. For things that you can integrate into your work, into the character, into the film."

Everything you describe sounds very scary.

It is basically choosing to be in a constant state of insecurity.

"That's right, it's definitely scary. I remember Mark Raflo talking to me about it once. He said 'if it's not scaring me, I'm starting to be worried.' Because that's how it should be. Every time you do a role, it's like starting to climb Mt. You need a goal. You need to have something that you're trying to achieve. Something that you aspire to. That you work towards. If I do not have that, I feel like I'm just standing still and repeating myself. To make the audience be on the edge of the chair A sense of something unexpected - the player must be in a place where he too takes risks. The characters I like best - whether they are athletes, athletes or musicians - are the ones who give you a sense of danger. A sense that something unexpected may happen. You do not know What will they do now? And I think it can only happen when you're in this place.

"It does not mean you do not get ready for the set. On the contrary. It makes you work even harder and prepare even harder. You train your instincts to the point where you feel confident you can just let go. You trust yourself. It becomes "Something physical. It comes from the stomach. It no longer comes from the head at this point. That's what I aspire to. I just want to respond to what's happening in front of me."

"I should have said no"

Learn to let go.

Hamsworth Kather, alongside Natalie Portman, Photo: Courtesy of Disney Israel and Forum Film

Masworth can not be blamed for not implementing the philosophical ideas he is talking about.

Not long after emigrating to Hollywood from Melbourne and becoming famous for roles in films such as Star Trek, Cabin of Fear, Snow White and the Hunter and Thor, of course - he began to look for challenges that would take him out of his comfort zone and make him a better actor. .

He played racing driver James Hunt, in director Ron Howard's thrilling drama "Rush," played a criminal hacker in director Michael Mann's "Blackhat," tried his hand at comedy as part of the "Demon Mowers" ensemble, and got into the skin of a cult leader. Charismatic and psychotic in "Tough Times in the Royal."

In 2015, Masworth made another unconventional move when he decided to leave the stressful and stressful life in Los Angeles and settle with his family on a mansion off the coast of Australia, befitting an avid and obsessive surfer like him.

Of course, along with the great success, business opportunities and campaign offers also began to flow.

The value of the Centr fitness app, which Masworth created in 2019 (and which he vigorously promotes to his 85 million followers on Instagram), is currently estimated at about $ 200 million.

In recent years, Masworth also participates in commercials that promote Hugo Boss' men's clothing and perfumes.

"The shots of the commercials are not much different from the shots of a movie," he says.

"You play a character. But the atmosphere is different. Everything is much more compact and compact and short and fast. It's going great so far. I've had a lot of offers for commercial collaborations over the years, but Boss's offer intrigued me and spoke to me. I was very happy to be trusted That's iconic. "

Meanwhile, "Men in Black: International," Masworth's largest commercial project, outside of Thor's world, failed miserably when it was released in 2019 and does not appear to be expected to produce more sequels.

Hamsworth with his wife Elsa Petaki and the twins, Photo: EP

"I try very hard to diversify," the masquerade tells me as I compliment him on the impressive way he is navigating his career.

"A lot has to do with opportunities that come your way. For a long time they only sent me scripts for action movies and superhero movies. I had to say no to a lot of things. Then suddenly suggestions started coming in that allowed me to challenge myself in new ways. And that's part of the fun.

"For example, 'The Spider's,' the psychological thriller I made, now out on Netflix. I've never made a movie like this. It was all born out of a desire to make a movie during Corona, with all the restrictions and all the challenges. The idea was to shoot it all on one set with a handful of actors. A bit like a show. We filmed it in five weeks! It's crazy! The busiest schedule I've had in my career. Especially for something with such depth. But it was amazing. I'm very proud of the film. It's very different and unique, and it's very different from what I do along the way. rule.

"I started playing because it always seemed to me like the most fun thing to do. But once it becomes too familiar and once it starts to repeat itself, it gets boring. I try to keep it fresh and unique and different. Only then is it exciting for me."

Yishai Kitchels' Twitter @gegegever

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