How Chris Hemsworth Transformed His Body From Thor To Rush’s Formula One Driver

Chris Hemsworth had a major problem when it came to filming his new movie, “Rush” – how does Thor fit inside a Formula One racecar?!

The actor chatted with Access Hollywood about how he went from the size of a Norse god to racecar driver James Hunt in Ron Howard’s new movie.

“I was shooting ‘The Avengers’ at the time. I was 215 pounds and there was no way I was gonna fit into a Formula One car,” he told Access at the movie’s junket. “So, it was the first thing I said to Ron, which was, ‘I’m not gonna turn up as Thor, [but] I’m gonna trim down and lose the weight and squeeze into the thing’… and we did!”

Chris explained that he shared a similar issue with his “Rush” character.

“We worked hard and got down to the weight roughly that James was and he had problems fitting into the car. You know, he was six [foot] two [inches] and one of the tallest drivers… and used to complain constantly how tight it was in there.”

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So how did the 30-year-old transform from his large Thor body into a trimmer frame?

“It was tough. It was easy to put on the weight because you eat at lot,” he explained “And that’s fine… you work out… but this was kind of over-train and under-eat.”

As for the racecar work, Chris spent almost a month behind the wheel getting ready.

“It’s awesome. We did about four weeks of training and you get in these things and immediately understand the addiction these guys had to this sport. It’s every vibration you feel from the car… you feel every bump in the road. It is an extension of you,” the actor said. “You don’t feel isolated or separated from it. And you understand why these guys risked their lives for it. It’s incredibly addictive.”

“Rush” opens wide in theaters on September 27.

— Jesse Spero