Thor The Dark World: Jaimie Alexander Talks About What Separates Marvel Films

Jaimie Alexander returns as Lady Sif in Thor: The Dark World, heading to Blu-ray February 25. Lady Sif is set to become a lynchpin of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with an upcoming guest star role in an episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Alexander took some time to discuss playing Lady Sif in Thor: The Dark World before the film’s home entertainment release.What’s it like to be back playing Sif?It’s been pretty amazing. I have to say Sif is one of the favorite characters that I’ve ever played. She’s probably the closest to my personality out of everything I’ve done. She’s a butt-kicker, so I like that. It’s great to see everybody again and to be here and be fighting alongside all my friends that I’ve missed over the last two and a half years.Where does Sif fall into the storyline this time around?Sif enters the story in battle alongside Thor and they fight side by side, kicking a lot of butt. That’s the introduction in this film for Sif.What are the evils that Thor and Asgard are encountering this time around?This time around, the battle’s come home; it’s come to Asgard. While we are trying to police the Nine Realms, Malekith comes in with his dark elves. They are one of the strongest forces in all the realms, and so we’re set to battle them and to restore order.What was your first reaction seeing how Malekith and Kurse look in this film?I’ve got to say, with the amount of time that Malekith goes through prosthetics, he’s just incredible looking. They almost have this black-light air about them. They look like something I’ve never seen.What other realms do we get to see in this film?We definitely go to Vanaheim as a team, which is Hogun’s home planet, and it was stunning. Even with all the chaos and all the bombs going off, it was a beautiful, beautiful area. We shot it at Bourne Wood, which is a lovely place outside of London. It was just incredible to see the costumes and everything. It just gives life to where these people come from.What did you connect with in terms of your character in this script?I really tried to bring Sif a little bit more vulnerability in this film. She has a very big soft spot for Thor. She’s very much in love with him and cares very much about his well-being, as well as her fellow Asgardians’ well-being. So knowing that he’s kind of in charge of that, she really appeals to his softer side and says, “Let me talk to you about this. I care about you, and I see that you’re very distracted and I want to help you focus again because we have a lot to do.” I’ve got to tell you she’d be an awesome girlfriend! I think they should probably take it there eventually. Sif kicks a lot of butt in this movie, but she also opens her heart a lot.Where does everybody stand together in this film?We all unite in this film and follow Thor and support him in everything that he wants to do and all of the decisions that he makes. We even turn on some of our fellow Asgardians to protect him. That loyalty really shows, especially from Sif and the Warriors Three, how much we love Thor and how much we support him and we stand by him. We fight alongside of him…and we also all still hate Loki!It’s a different Thor. He has his loyalty but we see him in love.Yes, it’s great. Chris plays that sort of vulnerability really well. Being in love with somebody that you can’t physically be next to is very hard. Chris has the biggest heart out of anyone I know, and he lets that come through as Thor, and it’s really beautiful. When Sif sees that he’s so love-struck and sad and miserable, it hurts her. Even though she really doesn’t want him to be that way over Jane, it still hurts her and she wants to help him. I think again that shows the loyalty and love that these people have for each other.Do you feel that Chris Hemsworth has matured along with his character and the way he portrays Thor over the course of these films?I think Chris has probably matured a bit. I think all of us have, really. We’ve all grown through this experience, and things were a little different when we came back this time. Natalie has a little boy; Chris has a little girl; a lot of people are married. It’s pretty amazing, but Chris definitely has a strength about him that I saw when I first met him, but it’s even more intensified now a couple of years later.What has it been like for the whole cast to be together again?It’s been great being back together with my Warriors Three. We go out and have sushi and talk and catch up. Ray’s [Stevenson] had another baby since the first movie, and now, of course, we have Zachary Levi playing Fandral and he’s been a great addition to our cast. Tadanobu Asano has really hit the American film market, so it’s just great to see everybody doing really well. We still punch each other in the arm and goof off and everything. It’s like seeing family again.How much training did you have to go through for this film?I had a lot more stunt training in this film than I did in the first movie, believe it or not. There was lots of shield and sword training, obviously, and then I have a double-bladed spear. There has been horseback training, which I had a lot of fun with. I guess everybody thinks that because I’m from Texas I ride horses, but I was probably the least experienced out of everyone. Steve Dent, who is the overseer of all the horses, is a fantastic human being and an awesome teacher. I don’t think I would’ve had the confidence or know-how to do what I did in this movie on a horse without him.This is obviously a cosmic story, but how do you feel they are able to keep it grounded in reality?With these big Super Hero, big-budgeted, big action films, you can lose a little bit of the humanity, but I think what we do is we put real life situations in an extraordinary circumstance. For example, you’ve got a man who’s lovesick over a woman and a woman who’s lovesick over a man—that happens a lot in real life. You have family arguments; you have friends that argue and friends that get in a tiff. We bring all of that home. We just do it in a very fancy, very visually stunning way.How has it been working with Alan Taylor and what do you think he brings to the franchise?I really like working with Alan. He’s very laid back, very open. He’s very collaborative, which is really nice because we were all here in the first film. We know our characters. We know what we’d like to see them do and what we want to do with them, and he was so open to that. You never know what to expect when you get a new director on a film. Working in TV on a series, you have a set of directors and then the next year you’ll have a whole other set of directors. A lot of them were very much like, “No, this is the way it’s going to be,” and it’s like, “But you weren’t here the first time, how would you know?” Alan is not like that at all. He’s a super fantastic human being, very creative, very kind, and really gave us a lot of creative freedom.What kind of wardrobe will we see Sif in for this film, and how important was it to have a costume that allowed mobility?My costume this go around is very feminine compared to the first film. It’s more of a slender shape. A lot of my movement in this film is based on martial arts and flexibility rather than just blunt trauma hits. I really kicked quite a lot of butt in the first film like that but this costume allows me to have just tremendous agility, which is great. I can high kick up to my ears if I wanted to, whilst looking like I’m wearing the toughest armor you’ve ever seen. Wendy Partridge [costume designer] is fantastic. She had a chat with each of us and said, “What can we do to make this better? Do you want extra padding here? Do you need extra cushion for your shoes? Can we do this? Let’s loosen this.” It was really great. She really listens and, for me, she really understands the female body. That really helped a lot.How is it working on these sets and filming in these locations?The sets are pretty incredible. It really feels like we get to be in Asgard. It’s not all CG, which I appreciate. They’ve just done a fantastic job with every little detail, even the tiles on the floor. They are the most intricate details you’ve ever seen. You probably will never even see the floor in the movie—not up close, anyway—but yet they took the time to do that because they know that it matters. That just shows how professional they are.Shooting here in London on location has been fantastic too.What has been your favorite part about filming this movie?I have to say my favorite part about this whole process has been the crew. They’ve been so awesome; they’ve been there for us. I got hurt pretty badly this go around on this film, and everyone was just so gracious and grateful that I was okay. Having these people care about you, and I’d only been around them for two weeks, was amazing. They’re good people here, very good people.What is it about “Thor” fans that you love?We have the greatest fans in the world. They’re so loyal and so supportive. I absolutely love when people come up to me and say, “I love you as Lady Sif,” or, “My kids dressed as you for Halloween.” You just think like, wow, I inspired somebody who could be in their eighties or somebody who’s a young teenager. It’s just across the board. They’re the most supportive people out there, and they always want us to do the best that we can and we try to do that for them.What is it that you think separates these Marvel films from the typical Hollywood fare that we normally see?I think that right now in the world, there’s a strong need to see good overcome evil, and I think that’s one of the things that makes these movies really work because you want to see the good guy win. You want to see them put up a good fight, kick a lot of butt, stay strong, learn from it, and win. When you have that in a film that’s entertaining, that’s relatable, it’s just a winning combo and it’s a really awesome thing to be a part of. I’m very, very lucky.So when you were filming the first “Thor,” did you know you were a part of something special?I remember my first day on the set of the first “Thor.” It was surreal walking around in a costume thinking that, as a kid, I always wanted to be this girl. I always wanted to walk around in this outfit and fly across an ice world and fight alongside these awesome people. It’s so funny because you sort of live out your childhood fantasy, and I knew right away that it was going to be amazing.You stand up a little straighter and you feel more confident and you think, “I could really help people. I could really make people smile with this and motivate them and help them feel like they have some sort of power.” On that day I knew I was part of something really special. And that’s been proven to me over and over again every time I meet our fans.