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Why Chris Hemsworth didn’t eat meat before kissing Natalie Portman in ‘Thor 4’

A woman in a superhero costume stands face-to-face with a man in a matching costume under purple lighting.
Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor and Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Love and Thunder.”
(Jasin Boland / Marvel Studios)
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It’s no secret that Marvel actors often adhere to strict diets and exercise regimens while preparing to film intense superhero fight sequences. But Chris Hemsworth might be the first to significantly alter his daily food intake in preparation for a kissing scene.

In a recent interview with Capital FM, Natalie Portman revealed that her onscreen love interest cut meat out of his typically meat-heavy diet before locking lips with her on the set of “Thor: Love and Thunder” because he remembered she was vegan.

“The day we had a kiss scene, [Hemsworth] didn’t eat meat that morning because I’m vegan,” Portman said. “He eats meat like every half hour. That was so thoughtful. ... That’s not something I’m angry about or care about, but he was just being thoughtful. He’s a very nice person.”

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“I didn’t know that,” Portman’s “Love and Thunder” co-star Tessa Thompson said in the same interview. “That’s really sweet.”

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In shock, Thompson added that she “didn’t even know [Hemsworth] could go without eating meat” and joked that the Australian action star eats bison for breakfast.

Directed by Taika Waititi, the fourth installment in the “Thor” franchise sees Portman’s character, Jane Foster, transform from an accomplished astrophysicist and astronomer who once dated Thor to an accomplished astrophysicist and astronomer who once dated Thor and now wields her ex-boyfriend’s magical hammer as Mighty Thor.

“She no longer is the girlfriend on the sidelines, Thor’s ‘chick,’” Waititi told The Times earlier this month. “She comes back as her own person, as a strong, powerful woman who is holding the hammer now and is actually a superhero herself.”

“To get to be a superhero at all is such a rare opportunity,” Portman told The Times. “Certainly getting to be one as you’re turning 40 is pretty much unheard of. It’s not anything that I dreamt I would get to do.”

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While speaking with Capital FM, Portman and Thompson — who plays warrior and new Asgardian king Valkyrie in “Thor: Love and Thunder” — showered Hemsworth with praise. The feeling is mutual for Hemsworth, who told The Times that it was an “honor” to reunite with Portman because she “embodied everything a hero should” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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“[Hemsworth is] pretty great,” Thompson said in conversation with Capital FM. “Even when he’s grumpy, he’s pretty cute and nice. ... He does get grumpy sometimes, and he does get hangry, but ... he’s still sweet.”

“He’s really a good guy,” Portman agreed.

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