Enchanting in her minidress, Natalie Portman has enchanted the Caput Mundi for the presentation of Thor: Love and Thunder, released on 6 July in Italian cinemas and already a record (with 1.4 million takings in just one day). During the meeting with the press, the 41-year-old Oscar winner spoke not only about the demigod of Asgard (played by Chris Hemsworth), the crazy atmosphere on the set created by director Taika Waititi (JoJo Rabbit) but also about all the issues that are close to her heart, as an artist and activist.
In the new cinematic chapter of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) his scientist Jane Foster becomes Mighty Thor and, with armor and hammer, he fights Gorr the slaughterer of gods (Christian Bale) side by side with his ex-boyfriend Avenger.
How much do you like to see a heroine as powerful as her male counterpart on screen?
“As long as we are surprised to see strong women represented, we will never be able to normalize the situation, because it will continue to seem like an exception to us. But no: for children it is essential to see characters of all kinds. When I grew up it didn’t happen because the panorama was much more limited ».
He accepted the role ten years ago. What had she attracted to her?
“Women in science are often underrepresented so I was already thrilled by the idea of playing an astrophysics, let alone if I had known she would become a heroine. The film is from 2009, the comic that clears its new aspect dates back to 2015, but I applaud the foresight of the screenwriters in having immediately painted an incredible woman ».
So was she surprised too?
“Yes, but because for the idea of a blonde paladin in armor the first person you think of is certainly not a forty-year-old Jewish mother of two like me.”
What did you learn about yourself on set?
«Even if I wouldn’t call myself a control freak, I like to arrive prepared and know what awaits me, but here Taika has done everything and more, he asked us every take to improvise different things. Which destabilized me – it was getting harder and harder to stay serious during filming because both he and the cast have brilliant and contagious humor – but it was also liberating because I learned to let go more. ‘
Also as a director?
«Absolutely, indeed that’s what I see in my future, even if I don’t have a project ready yet. I want to be able to use my voice. For 30 years I felt like water in the container that others were modeling, that’s enough, I want to give the container the shape I want. This is why I started producing. Now I’m working on the Lady in the lake TV series and I finally feel I have a say in the matter ».
Who are the women who inspire you?
«One above all, Elena Ferrante. Women like her, with revolutionary, innovative and rebellious voices bring to light the human female experience in a liberating way ».
Mighty Thor is fearless. What are you terrified of?
“From everything, to be honest: from Covid, from the crowd, from weapons. Jane, on the other hand, is not afraid of anything ».
The tone of the film is hilarious. Did Jane understand everything in her life and did she fall in love with a man who makes her laugh?
«Absolutely yes… how can you blame her?».
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Source: Vanity Fair
