"Fat Thor" was the talk of Hollywood when Avengers: Endgame premiered, but Chris Hemsworth says the Asgardian god's full figure actually freaked out his kids, who aren't used to seeing their father looking anything besides healthy and happy.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe had grown rife with loss by the time Avengers: Endgame rolled around to further tug on audiences' emotions, and Thor's visible weight gain and poor lifestyle is an onscreen representation of how the Mjolnir-wielding character was trying to deal with the Avengers' failure to stop the inevitable. Some justifiably argue that Thor serving as a consistent punching bag in the film on the basis of his weight is problematic, as it reinforces stereotypes and normalizes size discrimination. Hemsworth, himself, was a major fan of wearing his specially-made body suit for the less healthy version of the character, and even pushed for Thor to maintain his girth for the film's duration.
In an Extra interview alongside co-star Tessa Thompson promoting their new film, Men in Black: International, Hemsworth was asked an obligatory question about fat Thor, saying that he got a hilariously mixed reaction from his children. Initially, he says they "hated it," explaining, "They really didn’t like me being like that. They’re like, ‘When does he change back? What’s he doing then?'" Check out the video interview below.
However, Hemsworth clarifies that they didn't so much express reproach toward their father's onscreen transformation as much as the simple fact that they were "quite shocked." Relating a conversation he had with his daughter about his role, he says:
I said, ‘Which did you like better?’ and she’s like, ‘The fat one.’ And I sad, ‘Oh really?’ And she goes, ‘Yeah, it’s funny.’ But she didn’t think I’d want to hear that. I was like, ‘No, I like that version of him too.’ But initially, they were like, they didn’t really know what to do it with it. But afterwards they were like, ‘Oh, that’s kind of fun. It’s cool.’ I think they just wanted to see the hammer and the flying and all the cool stuff.
Hemsworth's kids' desire to see "the hammer and the flying and all the cool stuff" is more or less in line with what fans a bit less close to the star want from Thor's future outings, and Hemsworth seems interested in more of it, as well. Thor decides at the end of Avengers: Endgame to join the Guardians of the Galaxy on their sci-fi escapades amid Peter Quill's search for Gamora, and the actor has even expressed interest in actually joining them for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It's unknown if Thor will be struggling with any future weight problems by that time, and it's not entirely clear how Hemsworth's kids will feel about that either way.
Source: Extra/YouTube
