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Natalie Portman calls Thor 4 workout “really fun”

Getting in shape has had a positive effect on the MCU star

Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth in Thor: The Dark World

Natalie Portman is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Thor: Love and Thunder, and she’s been bulking up for the role. In a new interview, she chats about what it’s felt like to put on the gains.

“It was really fun. I worked with a trainer, Naomi Pendergast, for, I think it was, four months before shooting, and then obviously all the way through filming,” Portman told Vanity Fair. “We did a lot of weight training and a lot of protein shakes – heavyweight training that I haven’t ever done before. Of course, I’ve never really aimed to get bulky. It was very physical, so it was a lot of both agility work and also strength work.”

Portman’s been putting in the work because for the God of thunder’s fourth action movie, her Jane Foster is expected to wield Mjolnir, like in Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman’s comics run from the early 2010s. That’s quite the burden, but Portman says the transformation’s had a positive impact on her life. “It definitely helps you get into character, and it’s definitely changed the way I move,” she explains. “You walk differently; you feel different. I mean, it’s so wild to feel strong for the first time in my life.”

Thor: Love and Thunder is directed by Taika Waititi, who co-wrote the script with Jennifer Kaytin Robinson. Chris Hemsworth is returning as the lead, with Christian Bale playing the villain Gorr the God Butcher. Dave Bautista, Tessa Thompson, Chris Pratt, and Karen Gillan are also appearing at some point.

Filming on the MCU project wrapped in earlier this year, and Waititi has described it as a romance movie. We’ll see how true that is when the fantasy movie arrives to theatres on May 6, 2022