Filmmaker Taika Waititi assumed the directorial reins of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor film series with its third installment, Thor: Ragnarok. And while working on the movie, he surprised many by doing something unconventional for a director. Waititi, who has received immense criticism from the MCU fans for his treatment of the character, will not be returning for the next and potentially the final film in the series.
Before parting ways with the franchise, however, the filmmaker took the unexpected step of personally shaving the head of one of his movie stars, Karl Urban, for his role as the Executioner in the film.
Taika Waititi Personally Shaved Karl Urban’s Head For Thor: Ragnarok
The Boys star Karl Urban joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Skurge, who later takes on the role of Hela’s executioner, in the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok. His role in the film required him to shave off his head, a task taken on personally by the film’s director.
Urban shared that the filmmaker greeted him and proceeded to shave his head himself. “I turned up on set and Taika, our esteemed director, greeted me… and shaved this off,” he said gesturing to his head. Taika Waititi even paused directing the movie to shave his head.
“He literally stopped directing the movie and came out and shaved my head, and then went back to directing,” Urban recalled. The 52-year-old actor also noted that he was aware that he would need a bald look for his MCU role.
“I embraced it,” he said before adding, “What are you gonna do?” The actor portrayed the role of Skurge, an Asgardian warrior, who, in the absence of Heimdall, guards the Bifröst Bridge and later aligns himself with Hela for survival. And his character’s choice resonated with Urban, influencing his decision to take on the role in the Marvel film.
Karl Urban Joined Thor: Ragnarok To Share the Screen With Cate Blanchett
During his conversation, Karl Urban also revealed the reason he joined the cast of Thor: Ragnarok. Talking about the acclaimed actress Cate Blanchett, who took on the role of the goddess of death, Hela, he said, “She’s the reason I did this movie.”
Urban and Blanchett have earlier co-starred in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, However, the actor did not have the opportunity to share the screen with her as Éomer. “We did a little firm years ago called Lord of the Rings… But I never had any scenes with her,” he shared.
Taika Waititi’s Ragnarok, however, brought him the opportunity to fulfill his wish to share the screen with the Oscar-winning actress, as most of his scenes in the Marvel film were with Blanchett. “All of my scenes with Cate Blanchett,” he said amusingly.
“Work[ing] with her and this was absolutely amazing I can’t wait to see how it turns out,” he further shared. After taking on the role of Skurge in the 2017 film, fans are now eager to see him in another role in the MCU, as they anticipate seeing him in the role of Wolverine.
Thor: Ragnarok is available to stream on Disney+.
