Cate Blanchett joined the superhero franchise MCU with the third installment in Chris Hemworth’s Thor film series, directed by Taika Waitit. The actress took on the role of Thor’s older sister and the goddess of death, Hela.
Blanchett recently opened up about embodying the MCU villain in Thor: Ragnarok, as she revealed how her perspective on the role shifted after learning about her portraying the first female villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Cate Blanchett Reflects on Playing the First Female Villain in the MCU
Cate Blanchett’s portrayal of Hela in the 2017 film Thor: Ragnarok is still considered to be a standout element of the film. Not only did she deliver a memorable performance, but she also made history as the franchise’s first female villain.
In a recent interview with GQ, Blanchett reflected on playing the role of Hela in Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok. She recalled that before her casting in the MCU, she had heard about Waititi’s film.
However, she didn’t give it much thought to it initially. It wasn’t until she received a call for a meeting with the director that she learned he wanted her to be part of his Marvel film.
“I’d heard that it was happening, but I didn’t think anything of it,” she said. Further in the interview, Blanchett also revealed that she was unaware Hela would be the first female primary antagonist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“What I didn’t realize then was the first time a female villain had been realized on screen,” she said. The Oscar-winning actress shared that she was really excited about the prospect of making the groundbreaking entry in the MCU while reflecting on her experience starring in the MCU.
Cate Blanchett on the Thrill of Working With the Cast and Crew of Thor: Ragnarok
During the interview with GQ, Cate Blanchett also shared her experience working alongside Chris Hemsworth and Taika Waititi in Thor: Ragnarok. She described her experience as incredibly positive and transformative.
Blanchett also reflected on the studio’s unique way of operating as she described the process as assembling a massive jigsaw puzzle. Blanchett said,
Marvel aren’t necessarily used to having a whole script, so there wasn’t anything. Often they will board the essential battles and they’ll start working backwards. Like they make their stories construct their stories. It’s a whole big massive jigsaw puzzle that I don’t know.
The actress shared that she learned a lot of new things while working on the movie, including proper handling of weapons involving CGI. And Blanchett also received assistance from Hemsworth.
“I learned a lot of soft skills,” she said. After embodying the character in the third installment of the Thor film series, the actress reprised her role as Hela to voice her character in What If…? Season 2.
Thor: Ragnarok is available to stream on Disney+.
