'Thor: Love and Thunder': Why Natalie Portman Returned Despite Unexciting Portrayal In Previous Films

Natalie Portman is all set to reprise Jane Foster's character in the upcoming Marvel movie, "Thor: Love and Thunder," despite her character being less exciting in the previous installments like 2013's "Thor: The Dark World" and 2011's "Thor."

In fact, the actress didn't appear in the third installment of the franchise, "Thor: Ragnarok," which was dropped in 2017.

"Thor: Love and Thunder" director Taika Waititi, who is also responsible for lending his voice to Korg's character in the movie, shared why Portman returned for the fourth installment.

The 46-year-old director explained that after "Thor: Ragnarok," many actors including Christian Bale wanted to do something that is "fun."

"I think that what we did with Ragnarok was, it made these movies appealing to other actors as well, like Christian [Bale] really he saw that and he was like, 'I want to do something fun,' and came here, wanted to be part of this thing," Waititi said during an interview with Fandango All Access's YouTube channel.

"I went to her house and she gave me a glass of water," the director recalled meeting Portman.

Waititi further explained how the actress also wanted to make sure that her character is fun on-screen, unlike in previous installments.

"I think that she was just wanting to make sure that… I don’t even know how to say this, but… her character in those first few films," he admitted. "It’s probably not the most exciting version of the female character that we want from these films."

The director revealed that he spoke with the actress about changing her character as he did with Thor's character in the "Ragnarok" movie. Hence, the new portrayal will give "her a bit more license to be adventurous and fun," adding that the actress is a "really funny person."

The director previously teased Jane Foster’s character and said, "I think a lot of fans are gonna potentially assume, 'Oh, OK, this is the passing on of the torch'... I'm not privy to any plans Marvel has for the future, but I don't think that's the case."

The official trailer of the movie was dropped on May 24 on Twitter.

"Thor: Love and Thunder" will hit the theaters on July 8. The cast members also include Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Melissa McCarthy, Chris Pratt and Karen Gillan.