'Thor: Love and Thunder' director says they built platforms for Natalie Portman to walk on so that she'd look taller in the movie
Marvel
- Warning: Minor spoilers below if you haven't seen "Thor: Love and Thunder."
- Natalie Portman looks 6 feet tall in the movie once she becomes Mighty Thor.
- Raised platforms were built on set to make the 5-foot-3 actor look taller in the scenes.
Natalie Portman didn't just get buff for her role as Mighty Thor in "Thor: Love and Thunder," she also had to appear 6 feet tall.
Though it was a skilled trainer who helped the Oscar winner tone her arms, movie magic was needed to convince the audience that Portman, who is 5 feet 3 inches tall, could stand at eye-level with costars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson.
Director Taika Waititi revealed to Insider how the cast and crew pulled it off.
"We built a whole bunch of decking around the set," he told Insider. "First we would block out the scene — mark out where the actors have to go so the crew knows the whole layout — and once we did that we build an elevated platform that she would walk on."
Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios
In the movie Portman reprises her role from the earlier "Thor" movies as the superhero's former flame Jane Foster.
Like in the comics, Foster has terminal cancer. She decides to travel to New Asgard after reading up that Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, could possibly heal her.
It leads to her possessing the hammer and becoming Mighty Thor. Not only does she possess the powers of the God of Thunder, but she also appears taller.
Marvel Studios
The raised platforms did the trick, but Waititi said it did take some careful maneuvering by the other actors in the same shot with her.
"We also had to leave room so Chris and Tessa could walk around at regular height," he said. "It was a weird maze. But it worked."
"Thor: Love and Thunder" is currently playing in theaters.