Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman are a great match on screen as Thor and Jane Foster in Marvel’s Thor films. However, from a cinematic perspective, the actors weren’t physically the best combination. The Portman/Hemsworth height difference ended up being a bit of a problem for the filmmakers behind the movies, and the Black Swan actress revealed how the production team hilariously ended up making their kissing scenes less awkward.
When the duo sat down with the titular host of The Graham Norton Show, the actors revealed a number of behind the scenes stories about making the Thor movies. While the actors may have had chemistry, their height difference was significant and it would sometimes look strange on camera. Apparently Portman would make Hemsworth look massive, considering how short she is. She may have felt tall when she acted as Mighty Thor, but even bulking up couldn’t change her stature. Production had to build a ramp so she could kiss him on screen. The Oscar winner explained:
I can make anyone look huge. I’m extraordinarily short. They usually had some sort of ramp that I would walk up and land somewhere near his face,[...] it was a steep incline.
For context, Portman is 5’3'', which is definitely on the shorter side for a Hollywood actress. Hemsworth on the other hand is an entire foot taller than the actress, standing at 6’3''. The ramp situation probably was beneficial for the Blackhat actor’s neck, which would’ve had to be craned down pretty far for the performers to kiss without any assistance. Most of the kisses between the two are shot in a close up, so audiences wouldn’t even notice the ramp structure, and one particular smooch in Thor: The Dark World is cleverly filmed with Hemsworth on a lower balcony step than Portman, making the kiss natural and romantic.
It’s actually quite common for height differences between leads to become a factor when pairing actors. Zendaya initially was worried that she was too tall to star opposite Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming because she is slightly taller than her male counterpart. Thankfully, Marvel saw this as a nonissue because the two are great together. When shooting Priscilla, Jacob Elordi’s large height difference with Cailee Spaeny was also noticeable, but director Sofia Coppola used it to her advantage to frame Elvis as a physically “larger than life figure.” Portman’s casting, like Zendaya’s, must’ve just been too perfect to pass up, and production found a way to make the logistics between the scene partners possible.
I wonder if this is going to be a continued problem for the actors, who have played love interests in three Thor movies up until this point. While Portman returned for 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, it is uncertain if more Thor films will continue to play their characters in a big capacity in additional films within the MCU, especially considering Thor: Love and Thunder's ending. A prequel is always possible, but as of now, Marvel seems more interested in exploring new characters within the franchise. However, I personally love these two together and would welcome seeing them play love interests again someday, even if a ramp is required.
You can see Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth together in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Love and Thunder, which are all streaming now with a Disney+ subscription. For more information on other MCU projects heading to theaters and streaming in the near future, make sure to consult our guides of upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV shows.
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