Why Tom Hiddleston Told Chris Hemsworth To ‘Just Hit Me’: The Behind-The-Scenes Story Of Their Intense Thor Fight Scene
Why Tom Hiddleston insisted Chris Hemsworth punch him during filming for Thor. The surprising reason behind this intense moment is their dedication to bringing Loki and Thor to life.
Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth on the set of Thor, preparing for an intense fight scene (Photo Credit – Hotstar)
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Picture this: Tom Hiddleston, a.k.a. Loki, God of Mischief, is on set for The Avengers, ready for his big smackdown with Thor. But there’s one problem—his 30-pound horned helmet isn’t exactly selling the “punch me” moment. So what does he do? Hiddleston turns to Chris Hemsworth, his on-screen brother and real-life towering powerhouse, and says, “Just hit me in the face.” Yeah, you heard right. He asked Thor to sock him, for real.
As a guy with severe Shakespeare experience and a flair for the dramatic, Hiddleston might have thought he could handle a real hit. Spoiler alert: he could not. “I went down like a stone,” Hiddleston later laughed, recounting the moment on The Graham Norton Show. After all, he admitted, “Fighting Chris Hemsworth, you’re going to lose.” And honestly, can you imagine anyone winning a fistfight against a guy whose entire job description is “be really, really ripped and also worthy”? Nope.
Hiddleston tried to make the scene realistic with some good old camera angles, but when that didn’t quite work, he went broke and opted for the real deal. And Hemsworth, obliging as ever, gave him a wallop. Hiddleston’s post-punch wisdom? “If I was being hit in the face by Chris Hemsworth day after day, I don’t know if I could manage that. It wouldn’t be sustainable.” Just a bit of an understatement, Tom.
But this wasn’t the only time these two had some fun mixing things up. Fast forward to the Thor: Ragnarok press tour and Hiddleston decided to throw another curveball. He asked Hemsworth which Marvel hero he’d play if he weren’t already swinging Mjölnir as Thor. Without missing a beat, Hemsworth threw everyone for a loop by saying… Captain America. Yes, Captain “All-American, Star-Spangled Banner” America. Imagine Hemsworth trading his hammer for Cap’s shield!
Then, Hemsworth took it up a notch: “But we’d change it to Captain Australia,” he joked. Now, if you’re picturing a Thor-sized supersoldier in an Australian flag outfit saying, “G’day mate,” you’re on the right track. Fully committed to this mental image, Hemsworth added, “He doesn’t have a shield; he has a boomerang and a didgeridoo.” And that’s not all. According to Hemsworth, this bizarro Captain would have a crocodile as his sidekick. Yes, his Cap would “swing it around by the tail, and it’ll just bite people.”
And to think, it all started with one innocent little punch request. To this day, Hiddleston’s face-off with Hemsworth lives on as one of the more method-acting choices in superhero history.
Who knows? One day, Marvel will bless us with a Captain Australia spinoff. Until then, we’ll have to keep dreaming about Hemsworth’s boomerang-wielding, kangaroo-riding alter ego.
