Thor: Love and Thunder was the first time I was asked to bulk up, says Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman has revealed how playing Jane Foster in the latest Thor film counted as the “highlight” of her career.

Portman hit up the Lorraine show on Tuesday to talk about the latest instalment in the Marvel franchise, and praised director Taika Waititi for “putting a 40-year-old, 5ft 3in mother” in the role of Jane Foster – aka the Mighty Thor.

She also said it was the first time that she had been asked to get “bigger” for a role she was playing.

“It was really wonderful to get to do training,” Portman added.

“I haven’t been tasked in my lifetime to get as big as possible. I’m 5ft3 and my character is 6ft so there’s movie magic as well.”

“It was a really really lucky role to get to play. I have to credit Taika and Marvel for putting a 40 year old 5ft 3 mother in the role, it’s been a major highlight of my career getting to impress my kids.”

Thor: Love and Thunder focuses on the relationship between Thor and Portman’s Jane, who returns wielding Thor’s own hammer and with lightning powers of her own.

However, unknown to Thor (who is being played by the returning Chris Hemsworth), Jane is also suffering from Stage 4 cancer, and using the power of the hammer to try and fight it off.

With the two reuniting after years apart, Waititi told Empire that the relationship was set to be rocky.

“It’s been about eight years,” he said. “She’s had a whole other life, and then the love of your life comes back on the scene, and is now dressed like you. It’s a real mindf**k for Thor.”

With Waititi at the helm, the film has also given Portman the chance to flex her comedic muscles – something that she said she was enjoying, saying there was a “nice line of balance” there.

However, the pair’s reunion sees them (among others, including Tessa Thompson’s returning Valkyrie) facing off against Gorr the God Butcher, who is played by Christian Bale in his first Marvel appearance.

“Christian Bale is incredible, he’s been such incredible actor for so long, this one is absolutely terrifying,” Portman told the Lorraine show.

At a recent press conference, Bale himself explained that there was a “great pleasure in playing a villain… Everyone is fascinated with bad guys, immediately."

"The beauty of it is that Taika can make it bloody hilarious – and then really moving as well.”

Thor: Love and Thunder will be out in cinemas from 7 July