by Filming a major blockbuster film like Men in Black: International can be an intense process, but stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson made sure to keep the mood light with plenty of jokes and laughter behind the scenes.
In a recent interview, Hemsworth opened up about working with Thompson again after their first team-up in Thor: Ragnarok, revealing how the two kept each other constantly entertained even during long shooting days.
“We just have a great time together,” Hemsworth explained. “There’s a real ease to our partnership, our rapport. We’re continually taking the piss out of each other or playing jokes or pranks. It keeps it light, even when some days are grueling and huge scenes.”
One of the running jokes Hemsworth and Thompson kept up was mocking each other’s acting warm-up routines. While Thompson took her warm-ups very seriously, Hemsworth couldn’t help but mess with her.
“She always does these very sort of deep, almost monologues to prep,” Hemsworth laughed. “And I would often interrupt with stupid suggestions or comments, asking if she was rehearsing a soliloquy or whatever.”
According to Hemsworth, Thompson would retaliate to his jokes and interruptions by mocking his own preferred warm-up routine: screaming at the top of his lungs.
“I have a very intricate, professional routine where I scream obscenities from the top story of whatever building we happen to be in,” Hemsworth joked. “And she did not respect the craft whatsoever.”
The playful jokes and mockery kept spirits high even during difficult shoots. Hemsworth recalled one particularly long night where he and Thompson had to film intense action sequences outdoors through heavy rain.
“We were absolutely freezing and drenched. But during every break, Tess and I were still laughing, still one-upping each other with bad jokes,” he remembered. “It was miserable, but also hilarious.”
That ability to joke and have fun in the toughest conditions is part of what Hemsworth believes makes his chemistry with Thompson so effortless.
“We just intuitively get how the other works and can support that,” Hemsworth stated. “If either of us starts to drag or get tired, the other ups their energy and brings new life to the scene.”
By the end of filming, Hemsworth and Thompson had dozens of inside jokes and shared memories of pranks or funny moments together. All that behind-the-scenes humor and camaraderie translated directly to their performances as Agent H and Agent M.
“All that joking clearly worked, because that rapport shows up so naturally on camera,” Hemsworth said. “You can’t fake that kind of fun.”
So while audiences will get to see plenty of high stakes alien battles and mystery solving when Men In Black: International hits theaters, behind the scenes was filled with just as much fun and games between its leading duo.
Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth’s Best Behind the Scenes Pranks on the Set of Men In Black
Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson brought nonstop laughter and energy when filming their new alien buddy comedy Men In Black: International. And when the two beloved stars get together, practical jokes and pranks often follow.
Both actors recently shared some of their favorite gags and tricks they played on each other on set. From scaring each other to sabotaging scenes to endless improvised insults, Hemsworth and Thompson take their funny business seriously.
“It’s sort of become our tradition that whenever we work on something, we try and one up each other prank-wise,” Thompson explained. “We’ve gotten pretty next level with it now.”
One of Thompson’s proudest prank accomplishments was the time she persuaded the props department to fill Hemsworth’s blaster prop with water instead of the usual compressed air.
“So during an intense scene, he pulls the trigger expecting that big dramatic recoil blast. And a small trickle of water just sadly dribbles out,” Thompson recalled with delight. “It was perfection.”
Not to be undone, Hemsworth’s favorite prank involved pretending to eat a prop key vital to a specific scene they were about to shoot.
“Right before they call action, I popped the whole plastic key in my mouth and made a big show of chewing it up. Tess thought I actually ate a real functioning key!” Hemsworth said.
The scene descended into chaos as Thompson panicked and futilely ordered him to spit it out. Hemsworth let her worry for a few moments before triumphantly retrieving the perfectly intact prop from his cheek.
“She vowed revenge after that little performance,” Hemsworth chuckled.
But the antics weren’t always pre-planned by the stars. Thanks to long days and silly senses of humor, fun impromptu jokes happened constantly.
“There was so much laughing that they often had to pause filming just to let us composed ourselves,” Thompson admitted.
One of her favorite unscripted pranks occurred when Hemsworth had to repeatedly fumble with a neuralyzer prop, unable to get it to fit correctly on his hand. After several mistakes, Thompson stepped in.
“I told him it clearly wasn’t designed for his giant clumsy paws and did he need someone to show him how hands work?” she recalled. That sent Hemsworth into hysterics and disrupted filming for 10 minutes.
When asked if their relentless pranks ever caused issues on set, Hemsworth admitted they needed the occasional reminder to focus.
“The crew had these sort of code words they would use to politely suggest we wrap up a bit and get back to the actual jobs,” Hemsworth revealed. “But all in good fun!”
So when fans check out Men In Black: International and see Thompson and Hemsworth effortlessly battling aliens with charm and wit, remember much of that chemistry was built on a foundation of fun and pranks behind the camera. Beware any future co-stars of theirs though – by now, they have pranking and disruption down to a science!
Chris Hemsworth Gives Candid Details on THAT Dance Scene with Tessa Thompson in Men In Black
One of the most joyful scenes in the new sci-fi buddy comedy film Men In Black: International features stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson showing off their moves together in an alien nightclub.
Hemsworth and Thompson groove alongside each other on the dance floor in a high-energy sequence soundtracked by pumping house music. Eventually Hemsworth even starts enthusiasm booty-popping and voguing, sending Thompson into fits of laughter.
The dance scene clearly shows the actors’ easy chemistry and charm. But according to Hemsworth, filming it was both wildly fun and slightly terrifying!
“I have plenty of confidence in my fighting abilities as Thor thanks to years of training. But dancing? Not exactly my comfort zone,” Hemsworth confessed with a laugh.
In fact, the iconic marquee dance sequence was entirely improvised on the spot. Director F. Gary Gray simply cued up an upbeat EDM track and told his stars to have as much fun as possible.
“He said ‘I have literally no plan beyond get out there and bust a move.’ Which sent me into panic mode!” said Hemsworth.
Fortunately, his co-star Thompson helped him through it with plenty of encouragement and silly dance moves of her own to take attention off Hemsworth.
“She was hyping me up the whole time, telling me ‘release the dance beast Hemsworth!’ And making up these outrageous moves that were so bad they were genius,” Hemsworth recalled.
Soon both actors were laugh-dancing with zero inhibition or self-consciousness.
But the sequence moves to another level when Hemsworth starts passionately voguing like Madonna and bouncing his behind to the beat. Where did that iconic moment come from?
According to Hemsworth, that scene was as surprising to him as audiences.
“I truly don’t know what came over me!” he admitted with a shrug. “Maybe pent up dance energy? The music? Glass of bourbon beforehand? It just happened!”
Regardless of the reason, Hemsworth’s playful butt-bouncing instantly became one of the most beloved moments of the film. And it was 100% improvised on the spot.
“I figured go big or go home right?” laughed Hemsworth.
The take they eventually used had Hemsworth full on wiggling towards the camera while Thompson cracked up so hard she struggled to stay in character.
“That’s the magic you get when two friends have trust and no inhibitions,” Hemsworth stated. “It’s vulnerability and laughter and joy and something totally authentic emerges.”
That authentic sense of fun is clear in every frame of Hemsworth and Thompson joyfully dancing together. And according to Hemsworth, that’s the sole credit for how well the scene turned out.
“It was a great reminder to sometimes let go of overthinking and just create with utter abandoned confidence,” Hemsworth shared. “Even if the creation involves slightly spicy hip shaking!”
So the next time fans watch that delightfully fun scene, they’ll have insider insight into how Chris Hemsworth uncovered his majestic voguing skills and gave audiences a dance sequence for the ages!
Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth Share Their Favorite Improvised Men In Black Moments
Part of what makes Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth such a compelling comedic duo is their natural rapport and ability to effortlessly bounce off each other. So it’s no surprise that many of their most hilarious moments together in Men In Black: International were completely improvised on the spot.
In a recent interview, Hemsworth and Thompson confessed some of their personal favorite weird, witty, or wacky lines that they or their scene partner made up in the heat of the moment while playing alien-battling secret agents.
“Improv with Tessa is my favorite because nine times out of ten she takes it to hilariously unexpected places,” Hemsworth admitted. “You never know what wildly absurd thing she’ll toss out next.”
One treasured example he shared was during a fight sequence when Agent H was struggling unsuccessfully to use a flawed alien weapon.
Exasperated after his latest blundering attempt, Hemsworth improvised the line “this worthless space junk couldn’t kill a mildly annoying housefly!”
Thompson instantly shot back with, “Maybe if you stopped button-mashing it like a confused chimp it would actually function?”
“Absolutely ruined the take because I cracked up laughing,” Hemsworth fondly recalled. “Her knack for crafting weird imagery on the spot is unmatched.”
For her part, Thompson equally enjoyed Hemsworth’s improvisations, particular his knack for creating ridiculous alien names and phrases.
“Chris is the master of pulling a random alien species or gadget or classification out of thin air,” Thompson stated.
One Thompson’s favorites occurred mid-action scene when a dangerous alien villain suddenly showed up. Hemsworth cleverly yelled “It’s a level 5 Blognorian!” which caught Thompson completely off guard.
“A Blognorian?!” Thompson laughed. “It was so delightfully weird and such a Hemsworthism.”
Even the iconic desert raid sequence featuring hoverbikes zipping around alien sandworms spawned plenty of wonderful improvised moments between the duo.
As Agent H swung Agent M between sandworm strikes, they exchanged quips like “So about those reports on your reckless hover bike skills…” and “I’ll write my response apologies if we survive!”
So while audiences will definitely enjoy Men In Black’s scripted jokes and set pieces, a healthy serving of improv magic from Hemsworth and Thompson makes the adventure all the more fun. Fans can look forward to weird aliens like Blognorians joining the beloved franchise thanks to two stars bringing unpredictable humor and wit to every scene!
