There’s a running joke in the Marvel movies that Star-Lord is jealous of Thor due to all the attention he gets from the other Guardians of the Galaxy. As it turns out, in real life, it’s the other way around, as Chris Hemsworth is intimidated by Chris Pratt’s ability to improvise jokes on the fly. The Guardians actors have been down in Sydney recently shooting their scenes for Thor: Love and Thunder alongside Hemsworth, who reprises his role as the God of Thunder.
After joining Thor: Ragnarok as a director-for-hire when the script was already several drafts in, Taika Waititi was able to start writing Love and Thunder from scratch. Waititi encouraged improvisation on the set of Ragnarok and it seems that trend is continuing into Love and Thunder, as Hemsworth told GQ in a recent interview that he’s been impressed by Pratt’s improv skills.
Speaking about Pratt, Hemsworth said, “The guy is wildly impressive with the spontaneity and the humor and the things he comes up with. It’s both funny, inspiring, and intimidating... There’s that same – if not more – pressure now to [follow the success of Ragnarok]. So, there’s a little bit of exciting, nervous energy that is motivating all of us to reach a little further and make sure we’re covering all bases and approaching the scene from every angle.” Fans were first given a glimpse at the chemistry between Hemsworth and Pratt in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, the last of which concluded with the God of Thunder hitching a ride with the Guardians to find his purpose in the universe.
Pratt’s improvisational prowess should come as no surprise to fans of the comedy series Parks and Recreation, as the actor’s outrageous ad-libs are one of the greatest aspects of the show. After a while, the Parks and Rec writers realized they didn’t really have to write for Andy, as they could just rely on Pratt to come up with his own lines. For example, in the episode in which Leslie is sick, Pratt improvised Andy’s line, “I typed your symptoms into the thing up here, and it says you could have ‘network connectivity problems.’” Pratt is the reason most of the show’s outtakes went off the rails because his co-stars couldn’t keep a straight face when he would come out with something hilarious that was completely unscripted.
Following up Thor: Ragnarok will present a unique challenge for Waititi and co. The threequel arrived as a breath of fresh air after the dreary, generic first two Thor movies and was instantly hailed as one of the best movies the MCU had to offer. While it’ll be tough to recapture the uniquely zany comedic energy of Ragnarok, there’s so much of Waititi’s own personality in that movie that all he really has to do to replicate it is be himself. And the presence of the Guardians – regardless of how brief their role is – will surely help Waititi bring as many laugh-out-loud moments to the table as the previous movie.
Thor: Love and Thunder will now hit theaters on May 6, 2022.
Source: GQ