In the earlier days of her spell in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Natalie Portman played, at best, a central supporting role. That was certainly the case in her first appearance in the franchise: as Dr. Jane Foster in Thor in 2011.
Here, despite being a scientist carrying out research that bears existential consequences, she mostly plays the role of love interest for the titular character. In the three sequels – Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder, her role becomes progressively consequential, until she ends up wielding the Thor hammer herself.
The eventual fate of Dr. Foster in that latest Thor installment has left fans wondering whether Portman’s journey in the MCU has come to an end. If it is to be her swansong, though, the actress can be proud of the work that she put in to bring her character to life for one final, powerful time.
Part of that work meant going against what has been the norm for her entire life to completely bulk up. It is a total contrast to her previous role in the 2010 horror Black Swan, where she was required to be “as small as possible.”
Natalie Portman Lost 20 Pounds For Her Black Swan Role
One year before her foray into the world of Marvel, Natalie Portman delivered an Academy Award-winning performance in Black Swan.
The film, according to Rotten Tomatoes, tells the story of Portman as “Nina, a ballerina whose passion for the dance rules every facet of her life. When [her] company's artistic director decides to replace his prima ballerina for their opening production of Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice.”
“She has competition in newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis), however. While Nina is perfect for the role of the White Swan, Lily personifies the Black Swan. As rivalry between the two dancers transforms into a twisted friendship, Nina's dark side begins to emerge.”
In order to fit the physical requirement for her character in Black Swan, Portman needed to lose 20 pounds. This she duly achieved, mostly by altering her diet. These extreme measures took such a toll on her that she once said in an interview that she thought she was going to die.
Marvel Used A Trick To Make Natalie Portman Look Bigger Next To Chris Hemsworth In Love And Thunder
As soon as she was done with filming work for Black Swan, Natalie Portman reverted to her usual diet. So fast was the turnaround in her eating patterns, that she was hoping there would be no reshoots, as her body was already quickly readjusting.
More than a decade later, the actress found herself on the complete other side of the pendulum, as she was required to appear huge and menacing for her role in Thor: Love and Thunder.
It was such an important element for the film, that she even had to stand on a ramp when shooting scenes next to Chris Hemsworth – in order to even out the disparity in their respective heights. As far as her muscle mass was concerned, there were no camera tricks involved, and Portman was required – once again – to put in the hard yards.
Marvel enlisted the help of trainer Naomi Pendergast to get their star into the exact shape they needed. Speaking to Us Weekly in July this year, the Australian fitness coach gave an in-depth account of the regime that she had Portman follow.
Natalie Portman Had An Intense Workout Routine For Thor: Love And Thunder
Naomi Pendergast designed an intense workout plan for Natalie Portman to follow for her role in Love and Thunder. It included a daily routine consisting of a warm-up set, a main set for her arms, a boxing and skipping round, core work and a cool-down set.
The whole process would take 90 minutes to two hours of every day that Portman followed the regime. On top of that, the Star Wars actress had to change up her diet to up her protein intake for the muscle building. This wasn’t very easy to execute, either, considering that she is vegan.
In the Us Weekly interview, Pendergast explained how her client managed to navigate this, saying: “Natalie’s typical diet during filming would be a vegan-based breakfast of oats and berries plus a protein shake. Her snacks throughout the day would consist of fruit, nuts and salads.”
“For lunch she would have a vegan falafel dish again with a protein shake, and for dinner, a vegan curry and protein shake,” the trainer added.