Chris Hemsworth arriving to the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 23, 2022 in Hollywood, CA. © OConnor/AFF-USA.com. 23 Jun 2022

Find Out Why Chris Hemsworth Gave Up Meat For A Scene In 'Thor: Love and Thunder'

Home / Stars / Find Out Why Chris Hemsworth Gave Up Meat For A Scene In 'Thor: Love and Thunder'

By Kristin Myers on July 14, 2022 at 10:30 AM PDT

"Thor: Love and Thunder" star Chris Hemsworth skipped meat for exactly one meal before kissing Natalie Portman for a steamy scene in the latest Marvel movie to hit theaters.

During a recent appearance on the UK radio series, “Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp,” both the “Black Swan” actress and costar Tessa Thompson talked about what it was like working with Chris Hemsworth on set.

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Natalie Portman & Tessa Thompson Have Only Good Things To Say About Chris Hemsworth!

Chris Hemsworth arriving to the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 23, 2022 in Hollywood, CA. © OConnor/AFF-USA.com. 23 Jun 2022 Pictured: Chris Hemsworth. Photo credit: OConnor/AFF-USA.com / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA871506_003.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]
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Although she was missing from “Thor: Ragnarok,” Portman revised her role as Jane Foster for the latest “Thor” movie, which recently hit theaters.

Portman, who is a vegan, revealed that Hemsworth went vegan for his morning meal because he knew they had a kiss scene to shoot that day and wanted to be respectful.

“The day we had a kiss scene, he didn’t eat meat that morning because I’m vegan,” Portman explained, adding that Chris “eats meat like every half hour.” Portman said that she didn’t tell him to cut out meat, saying he made the decision on his own because “he was just being thoughtful.”

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Chris Hemsworth arriving to the Thor: Love and Thunder World Premiere at TCL Chinese Theatre on June 23, 2022 in Hollywood, CA. © OConnor/AFF-USA.com. 23 Jun 2022 Pictured: Chris Hemsworth. Photo credit: OConnor/AFF-USA.com / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA871506_003.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]
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Although the jury is still out as to whether Hemsworth actually eats meat every half hour, trainer Luke Zocchi did talk about Hemsworth’s intense training regimen in an Instagram video. He revealed that the God of Thunder consumes about 4,500 calories a day, spread out over the course of ten meals.

Portman has maintained a vegetarian or vegan diet for most of her life, which prompted its own unique challenges when she was trying to bulk up for her role as Mighty Thor.

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So What Did Natalie Portman Eat While Trying To Gain Muscle?

Natalie Portman at Rome for the movie ''Thor Love and Thunder''
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In a recent interview with Us Weekly, her personal trainer, Naomi Pendergast, broke down everything Portman ate and the general exercise plan that Portman followed for ten months to get her into the shape she was in for "Thor: Love and Thunder."

Instead of meat, Portman's breakfast consisted of oats, berries, and a vegan protein shake. She also snacked on fruit, nuts, and small salads while they were filming. For lunch, Portman usually ate a vegan falafel dish with another protein shake. For dinner, she'd usually eat a vegan curry, and down a third protein shake to make sure she was getting enough protein into her diet.

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Pendergast explained that the amount of food she was eating “was obviously way more than Natalie normally eats, but it was essential for her to maintain this throughout filming to keep the muscle she had developed.”

Tessa Thompson attends the Marvel Studios Thor Love and Thunder UK Gala Screening, at the Odeon cinema, Leicester Square, London. 5th July 2022. Material must be credited "The Times/News Licensing" unless otherwise agreed. 100% surcharge if not credited. Online rights need to be cleared separately. Strictly one time use only subject to agreement with News Licensing. 07 Jul 2022 Pictured: Pom Klementieff, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson and Taika Waititi attend the Marvel Studios Thor Love and Thunder UK Gala Screening, at the Odeon cinema, Leicester Square, London. 5th July 2022. Material must be credited "The Times/News Licensing" unless otherwise agreed. 100% surcharge if not credited. Online rights need to be cleared separately. Strictly one time use only subject to agreement with News Licensing. Photo credit: News Licensing / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA875597_016.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]
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To prepare for her role in the film, her training worked on developing Portman's arms, abs, and agility, so that she could perform the intense stunts required for her role.

“The initial goal was to build arm and abdominal definition,” Pendergast explained. “We also worked on stability and agility for injury prevention as Natalie had some dynamic stunt scenes that required her to move, twist, and land in various positions.”

Pendergast said that most of Portman's workouts included weightlifting, boxing, core work, and skipping around. “I provided the exercises and guidance, but she did the rest,” Pendergast told the publication. “She is focused, determined, and humble. Natalie turned up every session that was scheduled for the 10 months and gave 100 percent, even on the days she was tired.”

Natalie Portman at Rome for the movie ''Thor Love and Thunder''
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Portman had previously compared her role in "Thor: Love and Thunder" with her previous role in "Black Swan" in an interview with Variety. She explained that it helped change her "state of mind as a woman" to bulk up, instead of losing weight.

“On ‘Black Swan,’ I was asked to get as small as possible,” Portman explained. “Here, I was asked to get as big as possible. That’s an amazing challenge — and also state of mind as a woman.”

She added, “To have this reaction and be seen as big, you realize, ‘Oh, this must be so different, to walk through the world like this. When you’re small — and also, I think, because I started as a kid — a lot of times I feel young or little or, like, a pat-on-the-head kind of person. And I present myself that way, too, because of that.”

Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman in 'Thor: Love & Thunder'
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“Thor: Love and Thunder” was released in theaters on Friday, July 8. Fans can see what critics had to say about the film here.

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