Thor: Ragnarok opened in theaters on Friday to mostly glowing reviews (it currently sits at 93% “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes). Critics praised the film’s brisk pace and snappy punchlines, which can likely be attributed to the familial environment director Taika Waititi cultivated on set—as well as his roasting of star Chris Hemsworth.
According to a recent New York Times profile, Waititi commenced the 84 days of filming with “a ceremony featuring ritual dances and greetings from the local Aboriginal tribe, the Bundjalung people, as well as a Maori celebrant.” But he also made made sure to publicly drag Hemsworth, lest the musclebound protagonist start to believe in his own superpowers.
Per the Times: “Waititi’s favorite gag, according to his star, Chris Hemsworth, was to ‘forget’ his set mike was on and then to perform complaints about his leading actor, midtake, for everyone to hear: ‘Ah, we should’ve got the other Chris. Chris Pine, Chris Pratt, anything but Hemsworth.’ Then there’d be a muffled scrabbling, and Waititi would say, ‘Oh, crap—sorry, guys, sorry.’”
The ribbing was all in good fun, of course—lucky for Waititi, since Hemsworth could probably pop the director’s head off his neck just by placing it in the crook of his elbow and flexing his bicep.
Anyway, go see Thor: Ragnarok now.