Why the 'Avengers: Endgame' directors were worried about Thor actor Chris Hemsworth while filming

Warning: This post contains spoilers for “Avengers: Endgame.”“Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo told Business Insider that it was “scary” having Thor actor Chris Hemsworth in a body suit while filming.“It was quite heavy,” Anthony Russo said. “That suit started to wear on his back, which was scary when you have someone who has to be so physical.”Thor's overweight portrayal in “Endgame” has caused some controversy, but the writers have defended the look.“What is the end result of a guy who has lost so much and just blatantly failed？,” writer Christopher Markus told Vulture. “... The weight gain was just part and parcel of that state of mind.”Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.Warning: This post contains spoilers for “Avengers: Endgame.”Many characters go through transformations in “Avengers: Endgame,” but none more than Thor. After a five-year time jump at the beginning of the movie, Thor is living a secluded existence in the Earth-based “New Asgard.” After failing to kill Thanos before he wiped out half of humanity, Thor has become depressed and gained weight. The very much in-shape actor Chris Hemsworth had to wear a body suit for the role, which the directors Joe and Anthony Russo said was “scary” on set, especially during physically exhausting action sequences.On top of that, last year's “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Endgame” were shot back-to-back, so Hemsworth would have to transition in and out of the body suit for “Infinity War” reshoots.READ MORE: Disney's movie release shake-up shows how it will dominate Hollywood for years to come, from 'Avatar' to 'Star Wars'“We had to toggle back and forth,” Anthony Russo told Business Insider. “While we were shooting 'Endgame' where he was heavier we had to do some pickup shots for 'Infinity War,' so he would have to go back and forth between those two looks. So he had to wear a bodysuit, and it was quite heavy. That suit started to wear on his back, which was scary when you have someone who has to be so physical.”Thor's portrayal in “Endgame” has caused some controversy. INSIDER's Callie Ahlgrim called it “problematic,” writing that the jokes about his weight gain could be seen as “fat shaming.”“Endgame” writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely defended Thor's portrayal in the movie in an interview with Vulture.“What is the end result of a guy who has lost so much and just blatantly failed？,” Markus said. “We wondered, 'Okay, well, what if he does become a sort of depressive alcoholic？' And the weight gain was just part and parcel of that state of mind. We didn't go, like, 'Let's chunk him up, it'll be hilarious.' And we leave him in that state at the end of the movie. Even though he's emotionally resolved … We fix his problem, and it's not his weight.”It wasn't just Hemsworth and the other actors who were feeling the grind. It took a toll on the Russo brothers, as well. “The stakes [of making the movie] were even less significant than the physical toll,” Joe Russo said. “That's the thing that you stare down every day. The hours are intense. You're shooting for a year straight. We were working seven days a week, on average 15 hours a day, for a year.”But as lifelong comic-book fans, the Russos' passion for the source material got them through the tough schedule.“It's special for Joe and I,” Anthony said. “We know we have a huge passion for the material, and we know it's something we're extremely motivated to do and something we want to spend our time doing.”Read more of Business Insider's “Avengers: Endgame” coverage:'Avengers: Endgame' directors describe the 100-hour workweeks and tremendous pressure of making their $2 billion blockbuster'Avengers: Endgame' directors reveal which characters could bring them out of Marvel retirement'Avengers: Endgame' directors tease 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' and one character's uncertain fate'Avengers: Endgame' directors explain the movie's Loki twist, and it has major implications for the character's Disney Plus TV seriesAvengers: Endgame' raises questions about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but gives plenty of cluesHow 'Avengers: Endgame' changes these 5 upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows6 box-office records that 'Avengers: Endgame' has already broken on its quest to become the biggest movie of all time