Chris Hemsworth first met Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi over lunch at a cafe.
“It felt like a first date,” the God of Thunder told Heat Vision on the carpet at the world premiere of the latest Thor movie in Los Angeles on Tuesday night. “It was pretty awkward.”
“Well, I don’t get awkward,” said Waititi when asked about how the date went on his end. “He was probably just very nervous to meet me. You know what they say, don’t meet your heroes and all.”
Hemsworth wanted to meet the director after he saw Waititi’s 2010 movie Boy. Thor is the first studio project for the New Zealand-native, whose other features include the vampire mockumentary 2014’s What We Do In the Shadows and 2016’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
The actor remembers: “I was like, ‘I am such a fan.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, cool! I haven’t seen Thor but I probably will be a fan, or maybe I won’t. I don’t know.'” Waititi contends: “Well, it all worked out for him, didn’t it? I got him in the movie and I changed his life.”
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Matt Damon, Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts were also at the Hollywood premiere for the latest Marvel movie, along with studio head Kevin Feige and Disney’s Bob Iger and Alan Horn.
Thor: Ragnarok sees the Asgardian god team up with his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his pal Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to fight the goddess of death, Hela, played by Cate Blanchett. With Waititi at the helm, the Marvel series takes a lighter, more comedic tone than the previous Thor movies. The cast and crew had their own stories about how Waititi’s sense of humor bled into life on set.
“We are outside, it’s raining, it’s seven in the morning and everyone is kinda bummed out,” remembers screenwriter Eric Pearson of Ragnarok‘s auspicious first day of filming. “Then you start hearing this music and I looked outside and it is Taika and a boombox in all denim dancing from department to department.”
Karl Urban, a newcomer to the Marvel franchise, remembers his first day on set, sitting in the hair and makeup trailer when Waititi walked in. “He stopped directing to come to makeup to personally shave my head.” He adds, “I think he has a personal vendetta against my hair.”
Thor: Ragnarok hits theaters Nov. 3.
