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First off, I wanted to start by saying that it was a great movie –
and I think you are going to make a lot of fan-boys happy with your performance.
Well, thank you very much – that’s
what we were striving to do.
Is that one thing that you were actually worried about? To be true to the comic books and
making the fan-boys happy?
Totally. It’s a weird thing for an actor – because usually you
are creating the role, and you know more about the role than anybody else… but because there’s such a history
with Thor and it goes so far back… so many people love the comics and love the characters, and have grown up with him
and kind of lived with him… and know the movie well. So, you want to do right by that, you know?
You feel a little bit of that pressure – so you just hope you get it right for them.
I think you did really
well, I think you did the character justice – I just wish you had more parts in the movie.
We need to see more Warriors
Three, maybe in the next one… [laughs] Yeah, it’ll be great to see more of their adventures together –
so who know… maybe that’ll happen in the future.
  For people that may not have seen the movie – can you tell me a little bit about who you play and describe your character
a little bit?
Sure. I play Fandral ‘The Dashing’, he’s one of the charter members of
the Warriors Three and one of Thor’s right hand men… brothers in arms… we go on adventures together across
the realms. Fandral… Stan Lee kind of molded him off of Errol Flynn’s ‘Robin Hood’.
So he’s swashbuckling – he’s a good-time guy – and he’s a warrior first and foremost.
Totally loyal to Asgard and Thor – and looks after his buddies.
I’m sure you watched a lot of Flynn movies
to get into character.
Oh yeah, I watched the entire Flynn back catalog I think. [laughs] To get that
kind of flavor in there, you know? He was quite a guy, Errol Flynn, his sort of persona he had on and off
screen. Fandral is very much like that. And because of that, he can kind of get into
trouble sometimes. [laughs] He compromises the group a little bit.
Did you do anything
else besides watch the old movies to get into character?
Watched the movies, went through all of the comics that I could get a hold of…
that Marvel set up for me when I first got in from rehearsals. I was reading the comics and finding
out Fandral’s back-story – and how Hogun and Volstagg all met – and that kind of relationship and how that
formed. Yeah, it was kind of submersing myself in all the comics and really getting into character.
And what’s great, it’s gone through so many different incarnations in terms of artists and people that
have drawn the comics – so it was great to see how he’s kind of grown through time – and what’s changed
and how he was different in different comics and what I can take from that and kind of bring it into what we were doing in
the movie.
I read online that you got the role right before they started filming – that someone
else had the part but then dropped out, is that true?
Yeah, someone else… a fine actor had it… I don’t know the
ins and outs of the story, but he ended up leaving the production… so to my good fortune I got a call and they said
‘would you come in and have a meeting with us?’ It was that day, I think it was a Thursday
– I went into stunt rehearsals – and reading the comics… and I started shooting on Monday.
Started shooting the big battle with the Frost Giants. [laughs] It was really exciting – it
was scary times going into a project of this magnitude, but everybody on the production was so supportive – it was such
a supportive network of people at Marvel, because not only are they great filmmakers, but they’re comic lovers…
they love the comics and they love the characters. As an actor, when you’re coming into that situation
– you just feel so supported by all of those guys – they have such a love for it, and such a wealth of knowledge
of all the comics. It felt safe. [laughs]
Speaking of that scene with the Frost Giants, I
think that’s probably my favorite scene in the whole movie…
Oh, cool.
What was it like filming
that? I’m sure there were a lot of special effects that were placed in there after filming.
What was it like shooting that scene in particular?
Well, it was a bit of both. We had a lot of CGI that obviously
went in later on, but we had real stunt guys in Frost Giants costumes that were there with us. So, it had
a bit of both. It was epic, it was epic to go in and film that… the first thing we shot.
Yeah, we just had a great time. It’s a boys dream, dressed as a superhero god… and
you’re sword fighting. [laughs]
Tell me about your facial hair. Was that yours?
Well, because I came in so late…
Oh, that’s true.
I didn’t have anything
when I came in, I was clean shaven. So unfortunately, the hair and makeup guys did a wonderful job on it.
But alas, it is not my own. Next time – it’ll save me some time in the makeup chair
in the morning. [laughs]
Now what about the set of Thor, especially when it comes down to the set of Asgard…
what was that like?
Oh, man. I mean, it’s the stuff that dreams are made of. Because
I had assumed before going in that it was going to be a lot of green screen – so I thought they might put up a floor
or whatever – and it was all going to be green screen. But it wasn’t – they built these
enormous sets – it looks spectacular – they do a great nod to the comics and what Asgard looked like.
They kind of brought it to a contemporary film language. I think it looks spectacular, and to have
they physical sets there with you – as an actor, it only helped and enhanced the experience. You’re
not always looking at green space. You had it there so you could really feel like a god when you walked
on set. I think that’s the way it looks in the film – I think some of those shots of Asgard
in the film are just spectacular, I think it looks amazing.
Yeah, just like you – I assumed that everything was CGI.
As I watched it, I was thinking that either they got better at CGI or that’s a real set.
[laughs] Well, it’s both.
We had huge set pieces in Asgard… in the throne room, at the crowning ceremony… all of the sets were
beautifully designed. They are “other worldly” – because the idea was to make it…
that Asgard, the civilization, is so advanced – it’s beyond the human brain. The regular human
brain couldn’t even conceive these designs. And I think that’s what they did, it really reads
like that.
So, where do you go from here? Where do you go from Thor?
 Well, Thor has been an amazing ride. We started that journey almost two years ago – it feels so awesome
that it’s now out in the world, and people are going to see it. People are loving it – and
its bringing people to the movies. That’s a great feeling. I just shot an amazing TV show for ABC called
‘Once Upon a Time’. Some amazing actors: Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Carlyle.
It’s by the creators of ‘LOST’ – I just saw it today, it looks amazing… the storytelling
is exquisite, and it’s not like anything on TV right now. I’m hoping it gets picked up, we
should find out this week. I had a great time on it – its wonderful storytelling and great television.
If anyone that was involved
with ‘LOST’ is involved, I’ll definitely watch it.
Cool, cool… tune in. Adam Horowitz
and Edward Kitsis are the producers and writers – they were EP’s on ‘LOST’… it’s very
much like ‘LOST’ in tone. It has all of these characters weaving in and out of each other…
different time frames. It’s very cool, very cool. It was so great seeing that
today for the first time too.
I just have one more question that I’m sure you can’t answer
right now; will you be involved in the Avengers movie?
I can categorically say no. I will not be in the first Avengers;
there are always possibilities for later on for sure. I mean we never want to assume, there’s always
a possibility… I’ve signed on for several pictures for later on for possible sequels for Thor, but you never
want to assume anything. It’s doing really well, and people seem to like it – we’ll let
them tell us whether we’ll make another one or not.
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