Whenever we imagine Thor, we see the face of Chris Hemsworth flash before our eyes. This is because he has brought the Asgardian God to life, and rightfully so. However, portraying a God is not easy, especially if it is in the Marvel Universe. Marvel Studios had decided to bring the biggest superheroes to life, but the task was grueling. Each actor had to fit the role to the brink and do justice to the role. Vanity Fair covered an excerpt from the upcoming book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios,?by authors Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, where they talk about the casting of the superheroes who would become icons later.

When it was time to select the actor for Thor, director Kenneth Branagh was in a little dilemma. He wanted the perfect pair of actors for Thor and Loki but no one seemed to fit the bill. However, there was one Australian actor who was a soap opera star in his country. Would he be able to become the Norse God?

Chris Hemsworth became the Asgardian God of Thunder, but not before being insulted by Hollywood

According to the book, Branagh was fixated on Tom Hiddleston to play Loki and since both Branagh and Feige saw the actor in Chekhov?s Ivanov at Wyndham?s Theatre in London, the decision was fast. However, Thor was still a question mark, despite the chance for Hemsworth to be considered even after a failed first audition. When Kenneth saw a second audition tape of Hemsworth doing some lines from Thor, his mind was made.

Branagh was sure the Extraction actor could play Thor, even if he did not look the part right away. Zack Stentz, who is the co-writer for Thor movies, said, ?If you remember, when they announced Hemsworth, it was like, ?Who? Captain Kirk?s dad? This skinny Australian surfer??? So Hemsworth was insulted for his lean physique, and his role as George Kirk in Star Trek was mentioned when Hollywood casting directors talked about him. However, the writers and producers believed in Branagh and Hemsworth?s potential. Stentz explained, ?The thing with Branagh is, he just has a freaking unparalleled eye for casting. He?s so good at it. That?s what we would tell people.?

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??If Ken says he?s the guy, then he?s the guy.? Indeed, he saw things in Hemsworth that I think not a lot of people had until that point. With these superhero movies, I think casting is seventy- five percent of it right there. You put the right actor in the role?as opposed to the almost-right actor?and it?s magic,? said the writer of X-Men: First Class. Hemsworth immediately accepted the huge role and knew the stakes. He also knew how muscular he needed to be because Hemsworth said, ?I had read the comics and this guy like 500 pounds.? So, the Australian BAFTA winner started working out and maintaining his fitness to the highest levels. As soon as Hemsworth wore the costume, he knew he succeeded in making the perfect physique for the Norse God.

Chris Hemsworth?s hands went numb

Hemsworth?worked with Duffy Gaver and put on 20 pounds in eight months. When the time for the final fitting came, he realized that he had succeeded. Kenneth Branagh had already told him to get as ?big as possible,? and now he was not fitting into his costume due to the jacked muscles.??Within a couple of minutes, my hands started going numb,??said the?Avengers?actor.

Hemsworth said,??And everyone was like, ?Yeah, that?s not cool.” The costume measurements were taken three weeks prior and his conditioning after those weeks became better and more enhanced. Finally, Hemsworth maintained that stature by cutting calories and switching to kettlebell workouts.

This is how Chris Hemsworth became the God of Thunder, who fought Thanos in the end. What do you think of his fitness journey for the role of Thor? Tell us in the comments below.

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