Avengers Star Chris Hemsworth Fought to Keep Thor From Reverting to His Old Body in Endgame

After Avengers: Endgame arrived in theaters late last month, one of the biggest topics of conversation online surrounded the drastic transformation of Thor, who put on a bunch of weight, and lost a significant amount of drive, as a result of an ongoing battle with depression and alcoholism. It was a serious subject that was treated with plenty of love, but a lot of levity, and it clearly resonated with the fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The social media-dubbed “Fat Thor” was a sensation online, but he was also very well loved by the star who played him, Chris Hemsworth.

In fact, Thor was only supposed to be in that state for about half of the movie, but Hemsworth fought against the idea. He adored this version of the character — which he dubbed “Lebowski Thor” — so much, that he worked to keep it going throughout the entire film.

The new cover story for Variety is a profile of Hemsworth, talking about his rise to one of Hollywood’s most beloved and bankable movie stars. When detailing the actor’s work on Avengers: Endgame, the piece explained that Thos was supposed to revert to his original body in the middle of the movie. The only reason he didn’t was because Hemsworth was insistent on continuing with this take on the character.

“I like that anything goes. You’re not locked into expectations,” Hemsworth said of his Lebowski Thor. “I enjoyed that version of Thor. It was so different than any other way I played the character. And then it took on a life of its own.”

Hemsworth wanted to keep the character going even in the midst of the difficult situations it created for him. Not only did it take him about three hours in the hair and makeup chair every day, but his co-stars often messed with him on set when he was in his prosthetic suit.

“People just kept coming up and cuddling me like a big bear or rubbing my belly like I was pregnant,” Hemsworth said. “Or trying to sit on my lap like I was Santa Claus. You get a lot of affection. I felt like an old man, an old grandpa, with a bunch of kids around. And then you get sick of it when people come up and grab your belly. ‘Don’t grab me like that!’ I know how my wife felt when strangers would come up and rub her belly.”

Are you glad Hemsworth fought to keep this new Thor in all of Avengers: Endgame? Let us know in the comments!

Avengers: Endgame is currently playing in theaters.