Jeff Goldblum Talks 'Thor: Ragnarok' and His 'Hedonist' Grandmaster
Marvel’s movies are known for their big, brash, colorful, outsized personalities — and the studio’s Thor: Ragnarok will be no different, thanks to the participation of the iconoclastic Jeff Goldblum, who’s now divulged some details on his upcoming part in the superhero sequel.
Speaking with Empire, Goldblum explained the appeal of stepping into the shoes of cosmic pseudo-villain The Grandmaster. An ancient alien being with the power to travel back and forth through time, and with a penchant for staging elaborate to-the-death games and tournaments, he’s a bit of an — shall we say — odd figure in the Marvel universe, and that’s clearly part of what drew the actor to the part.
“He’s a hedonist, a pleasure-seeker, an enjoyer of life and tastes and smells. I thought, ‘I can do that, I’ll bet!’ I’m working on my part every day. I’m a sponge, researching…[director Taika Waititi] is encouraging me to improvise and make it my own, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I hope he doesn’t throw me out on the first day!”
Given that Thor: Ragnarok will feature Goldblum’s Grandmaster as well as Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, rumors are rampant that at least part of the film’s plot will be based on Marvel’s beloved “Planet Hulk” storyline, in which the green behemoth (decked out in one-shouldered armor) engages in some intergalactic gladiator combat orchestrated by the Grandmaster. Goldblum, for his part, is simply excited about joining his castmates for production in another gorgeous locale: Australia. “Not only Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett, Anthony Hopkins… jeez, that’s gonna be fun. I’ve never been to Australia except to do these little publicity things.”
Thor: Ragnarok doesn’t land in theaters until November 3, 2017. However, to satisfy your Goldblum fix, you can catch the actor reprising his role as techie hero David Levinson in Roland Emmerich’s extraterrestrial invasion sequel Independence Day: Resurgence, which debuts on June 24.
(Photo: Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)
