Christian Bale Wasn't A Big Fan Of All The Green Screen Work In Thor: Love And Thunder
"Thor: Ragnarok" provided a much-needed shot in the arm for the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it came out in 2017. It was a refreshing take on the character of Thor, who had never really found his footing in his previous film appearances. Director Taika Waititi's humorous and colorful entry into the superhero franchise was fun, clever, and actually felt like something new — a rarity for superhero films.
The 2022 sequel, "Thor: Love and Thunder," did not live up to the high expectations left by its predecessor. It felt like a poor imitation of "Ragnarok." This was unfortunate for Christian Bale, who played the movie's antagonist, Gorr the God Butcher.
Bale has worked in superhero movies before with the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, but this was his first time working within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was not a good sign for his enthusiasm for the project that he openly said in an interview that he partially only took the role because his kids wanted him to, but Bale is a fantastic actor. Surely, he could pull out a worthwhile performance even with the natural constraints of the genre.
Bale manages to stand out in the film, as he almost always does, making Gorr one of Marvel's more memorable movie antagonists. However, that apparently came at the cost of Bale's enjoyment, as he said in a GQ interview that making the film was a monotonous slog.
Green screen hell
Bale signed on to "Thor: Love and Thunder" optimistically, mainly because of who he knew he'd be working with. "For me, it was Taika. I loved 'Thor: Ragnarok,' as did my family," the actor said in an interview with ScreenRant. "We also all loved 'Jojo Rabbit,' and then I had worked with Natalie [Portman] and wanted to work with Tessa and with Chris."
However, he said in the GQ interview that he was put off by the sheer amount of green screen he was working with:
"I mean, the definition of it is monotony. You've got good people. You've got other actors who are far more experienced at it than me. Can you differentiate one day from the next? No. Absolutely not. You have no idea what to do. I couldn't even differentiate one stage from the next. They kept saying, 'You're on Stage Three.' Well, it's like, 'Which one is that?' 'The blue one.' They're like, 'Yeah. But you're on Stage Seven.' 'Which one is that?' 'The blue one.' I was like, 'Uh, where?'"
Even though Gorr died at the end of the movie, you normally can never count out a character coming back to life in a comic book movie. However, judging by Bale's reaction to his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems like the book may be closed on Bale making a return. It's a shame — he was probably the best part of the movie.