Chris Hemsworth and Jeremy Renner claim they’re ‘never’ too old for ‘Avengers’ movies

LOS ANGELES—Thor and Hawkeye, paired together in our interview, are in sync. “Never!” Chris Hemsworth, 35, and Jeremy Renner, 48, exclaimed in unison when they were asked if they thought they were getting too old for these “Avengers” movies.

There was easy, joking rapport between the two actors who costar in “Avengers: Endgame,” which broke box-office records upon its release.

As we write this, “Endgame,” directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, has earned a staggering $1.2 billion worldwide. That makes the Marvel movie the record holder for the largest worldwide opening, and for earning $1 billion faster than any other movie.

Excerpts from our chat with Chris (C) and Jeremy (J):

Were there times when you were shooting this movie that you thought you are getting too old for it?

C and J: Never.

C: I felt more fit than I had on any of these “Avengers” movies because we had done the fighting styles so much and you develop an athleticism that comes second nature. And you are still improving on that physicality.

J: I broke both of my arms (while filming “Tag”), so they’re on the mend. But yeah, I am not too old for this sh*t.

Do you balk when you have to do really dangerous stunts?

C: I let my stunt guy do the stuff that is potentially life-threatening.

J: Yeah.

C: You have a great team of stuntmen and women who orchestrates these things to precision to ensure your safety. And you still get banged up, like Jeremy said as he broke both his arms. But I’ve been pretty fortunate in that sense. It demands a huge amount of commitment and athleticism, but it’s also part of the fun.

Chris, once a demigod, always a demigod? Can you let that go?

C: Thor is kind of a half-God, so it’s probably from a complex of not being a full God. That is probably the issue. I never felt (like a demigod). I still remember the first film—you feel like a combination of being ridiculous in a Halloween dress-up, as well as excitement.

But mostly, until you sit there in the cinema and you watch and go, oh, we look pretty cool … on set, it feels pretty silly (laughs). So I haven’t had to battle with that (demigod thought), thankfully.

Jeremy, how was it like to be back in “Endgame”?

J: It doesn’t feel any different because we shot both movies together, and they’re all mixed and matched. I feel like we shot some stuff just a couple of months ago, with some additional photography. So, I never feel like I left. It’s just how the story unfolds. I can’t wait to see where it evolves in the next movie. I’m very excited for it.

If you have a chance to meet your character, what would you say to him?

C: “Do you have Instagram? What’s your account (laughs)?”

J: “Do you want to get a tequila? Taco (laughs)?”

C: “Don’t die.” I don’t know (laughs).

J: “You look bigger onscreen.” That’s the one, that’s my line (laughs).

What do you like and don’t like about your costume?

J: I like that it is easy to go to the restroom. Most of the costumes are very difficult.

C: I don’t like mine because it’s difficult to go to the restroom. And it’s incredibly hot, especially shooting fight scenes in Atlanta. It takes about 15 minutes to get on all the pieces of armor and so on.

It looks impressive and cool, but I can’t say that it’s comfortable by any means. But it also does so much work for you onscreen, and it’s nice.

Anthony Hopkins once said to me on “Thor,” “Look at these costumes. We need to not distract anything from what they have got going on. We just stand there, say our lines and do less, because the costumes do much work for us.”

When you first saw your characters’ action figures, what was your reaction? And how did your family react?

J: I loved the hair, I was like, that’s dope! And I gave it to my daughter and she was like, “Who is this, daddy?” I was like, “Don’t worry about it, baby.” But yeah, I thought the hair was cool. You can only do so much with a bobblehead, right?

C: It looks pretty cool, yeah. I like that. I gave mine to my kids, and they said the same thing, “Who the hell is that guy (laughs)?” I said, “It’s me, Thor!” And they said, “Why is your head so big?”

J: “You look stupid, dad (laughs)!”

C: I was like, “Oh, forget it.” I don’t think my kids are very interested. Like, “Give me the Wonder Woman bobblehead, instead.”

Jeremy, what is the story behind the haircut?

J: The haircut was actually an idea that I had. The Russo brothers loved it and said, “Go for it.” It seems like for the “Avengers” and for me, our costumes change and everything shifts. There is a growth in things. It all changes.

Your portrayal of these characters predates the involvement of the Russo brothers as directors. What was it like to work with them on “Endgame”?

J: They are easy as pie, like Astroglide easy, man. They’re just amazing, really smart guys. And thoughtful. It was pretty seamless. Everyone’s experience with them was the same. They’re very collaborative. They know what the heck they are doing. They make you feel like you’re calling the shots.

C: For something that could have and should have been the most stressful, chaotic experience, you would have thought we were just filming the 10th episode of a TV show that had been running for 30 years. It was sort of that easy.

I came in from “Thor 3” and I sort of thought I had really invented the character. I was like, I want to keep doing this and I’m not going back to the old version. Then, they quickly said, “We have another version for you, in both of these films, ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame.’” And they were very collaborative, kind and amazing.

The first time I met them was at Comic-Con. Someone was talking about “Civil War.” At Comic-Con, you meet so many different people. I thought they were actors in the movie, then we met them right after the film came out. I was like, “Oh, you guys directed the thing?” And I felt pretty embarrassed (laughs).

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