Stevenson on Volstagg

Stevenson is going from the rather stacked PUNISHER to the round Volstagg in Kenneth Branagh’s THOR.

Volstagg is one of the members of the Warrior’s Three, which also includes Fandral (Stuart Townsend) and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). The character of Volstagg is obviously inspired by Shakespeare’s Falstaff. However, he isn’t as big according to Stevenson, “It’s fantastic. I’ve tried the suit on, and what they’ve done is kind of sex him up: he’s sort of slimmer but rounder.” Everyone likes a sexy fluffy man.

But wait, why sex him up? Isn’t he also called “Volstagg the Voluminous”? The ROME actor explains, “He’s got every bit of that Falstaffian verve and vigour, and a bit of a beergut to suggest that enormous appetite, but he’s not the sort of Weeble-shaped figure he is in the comics. He’s Falstaff with muscles. I’ve got this amazing foam-injected undersuit that flexes with me. I can’t wait!” I like Weebles, they wobble but don’t fall down. So, it’s a fat suit with a beer belly? Or perhaps something like the one Tom Cruise wore to play Les Grossman in TROPIC THUNDER?

The film should still be something really amazing. I think the cast is wonderful: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Kat Dennings, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba, and Sam Jackson appearing as Nick Fury. THOR wasn’t necessarily a favorite comic of mine, but I’m interested in seeing how Branagh works it all out.