Taika Waititi Played Hulk for a Few Scenes in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’
Taika Waititi just can’t resist putting himself in his own movies, and since he’s such a hilarious talent, it’s not like we’re complaining. We already knew that he’d be playing Korg, the film’s “most lovable character,” in the upcoming Thor: Ragnarok, but apparently he also stood in for Hulk during some scenes.
While speaking to Collider for a lengthy, fascinating interview about the making of the film, Waititi said that he’d often “jump in” for a few of Hulk’s scenes when Mark Ruffalo was absent.
I’m playing one of the Planet Hulk characters: Korg, who’s a Kronan and a bit bigger than me. It’s all mo-cap. And often, since Mark [Ruffalo’s] no longer here, I’ll often jump in for Hulk’s stuff. We have stand-ins, but they’re not actors and they don’t have timing so I’ll jump in for those things.
I did Surtur as well, who will probably be re-voiced by someone else.
Waititi mentioning timing really shows that he’s doing everything he can to play up the comedy in this movie, which is the perfect way to go about it. Thor is by and large the funniest member of the Avengers, and, from the trailers, it looks like Hulk has an unexpected humorous streak too. I mean, what did we expect when we heard Waititi would be directing this movie? A subdued, self-contained political drama? I definitely hope there’s some B-roll or outtakes with a Taika-voiced Surtur.
Thor: Ragnarok smashes into theaters November 3.