Natalie Portman has said that training to be a Marvel superhero for Thor: Love and Thunder was a much more enjoyable experience than the rigorous, restrictive training she did for Black Swan.
The three-time Academy Award winner had to get pretty jacked for her return highly-anticipated to the MCU, as her character Jane Foster goes from astrophysicist/love interest to full-scale superhero in the latest Marvel instalment.
When fans last heard from Jane Foster, she had dumped her Asgardian boyfriend - though Thor (Chris Hemsworth) desperately tried to convince fans it was a 'mutual dumping'.
After eight years apart, Jane is set to make a pretty dramatic return into Thor's life when she mysteriously gains the ability to wield his hammer Mjölnir, giving her superhuman strength, speed, and agility, as well as the title of The Mighty Thor. That has to be an ego knock for our favourite intergalactic Avenger.
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To get MCU-level buff for her superhero debut, Natalie worked intensely with a personal trainer, focusing on heavyweight training and agility work, and drinking plenty of protein shakes.
Of course, Portman is no stranger to training for extreme body transformations for film roles.
When she starred as Nina Sayers in 2010's Black Swan, she famously dropped 20lbs to fit the pro ballerina physique, working out for five hours per day and seriously restricting her diet.
Speaking to LADbible, Natalie said that getting into shape for Thor: Love and Thunder was much more enjoyable than it had been for Black Swan.
“This one is great because I had to eat as much as possible", she explained.
"Black Swan was more restrictive, I would say. So, it’s definitely more fun. I love to eat so that was definitely a plus. Although, you do get sick of protein shakes after a while.”
Of course, all those shakes paid off in the end, giving Nat the arms of a demigod, and the strength to take on whatever threat might invade Asgard.
Jane Foster's transformation isn't just a shock to fans, but to Thor himself, who hasn't seen his ex-girlfriend in years and still doesn't seem to be over the split.
In Thor: Love and Thunder, fans will follow Thor on his most challenging quest to date: finding inner peace. After losing both of his parents, his long lost sister Hela, his half-brother Loki, and having his heart broken by his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, this Avenger has some serious healing to do.
However, things take an unexpected turn when Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) arrives on the scene and launches his plot to murder all gods – just as the name suggests.
Parting ways with the Guardians of the Galaxy, who he had teamed up with at the end of Avengers: End Game, Thor enlists the help of King Velkyrie (Tessa Thompson), his best bud Korg (Taika Waititi) and, to his surprise, Jane Foster, to take down the God Butcher.
Thor: Love And Thunder is screening now in theatres across the UK.
Topics: TV and Film, Marvel, Avengers, Celebrity
Ali Condon