The stars aligned in LA at the Thor: Ragnarok press conference held for members of the media on October 11th, 2017 following the red carpet premiere. It was exciting to see everyone on stage to answer questions and offer a group perspective on the film. The stars, Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Cate Blanchett (Hela), Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk), Jeff Goldblum (The Grandmaster), Tessa Thompson (the Valkyrie), Karl Urban (Skurge), and Rachel House (Topaz) were joined by Director (and Korg) Taika Waititi and President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige.
Looking for interviews? Check out my interviews with President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige, Director Taika Waititi, Karl Urban (Skurge), and live on Monday at 9 am EST Rachel House (Topaz). You can also check out my coverage of the media press conference here.
Thor: Ragnarok is in theaters now!
So many questions, not enough time. I had just seen the film the day before, at the LA premiere, you can find my spoiler-free review here. Having been a fan of the Thor film franchise in the MCU since its beginning, I had a slew of questions about the evolution from Thor: The Dark World to Thor: Ragnarok.
How did we get here? What does the future of Thor look like? And what’s up with the Hulk? We see a lot more dialogue from the Hulk than any other MCU film thus far, what was it like working with that? The questions in my mind were endless, but of course I really only had the chance to ask one. Other members of the media had some great questions too.
The questions from the press covered all kinds of aspects of the film from the heavy-metal inspired logo, comparing the old Thor to the new one, and a full-on Hulk movie to what the heck happened to Lady Sif (that one was left unanswered), what’s it like fighting with Chris as Thor, and how about that Hulk dialogue. Of course, we can’t forget Easter eggs, Hela’s amazing character and the new talent additions to the MCU.
So what can I share with you about Thor: Ragnarok that you don’t already know (while keeping it super legit and spoiler free)? Glad you asked.
20 Things You Didn’t Know About Thor: Ragnarok from the Cast and Filmmakers at the LA Press Conference
#1 Taika Waititi made this film very different from the rest
We all had a, a vision and wanted to do something vastly different than what we’d done before, and take it to a different place. And that meant kind of doing away with what we knew, and just reinventing it, and it all came from his crazy, wonderful brain, and his inspiration, and him pushing us every day on set, and constantly encouraging us to improvise, and explore, and take risks. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had on a set, and a film that I feel the most proud of, just because of this – this whole team, and the collaboration, and fun we had.” -Chris Hemsworth
#2 Taika Waititi thought Marvel lost their minds when they asked him to direct Thor: Ragnarok
When they first asked me to come to them about making this film, obviously I thought that Marvel had lost their minds, so they’re just hiring anyone now.
I knew my strengths were tone, character, and you know, relationships, and things, and I had to ignore the scale of this monster, this beast, you know it’s a huge, huge film. And what can be distracting on set is if you look over your shoulder, and you see 300 people standing there. I just had to keep reminding myself what’s more important is what’s inside the rectangle, and usually, it’s two or three people trying to remember their lines. So it doesn’t matter the scale of the film – that’s always the same, you know. I just focused down on what I was used to, which was what’s in front of the camera. -Taika Waititi