Taika Waititi, the director of Thor: Ragnarok, has revealed the inspiration behind Korg – the character he also played on screen.
There was a lot to love about Thor: Ragnarok but one facet of the film that resonated with fans as well as any other was Korg, the hilarious alien creature voiced by Taika Waititi. Korg is handy in a fight to be sure but it was his soft-spoken delivery and gentle demeanour that won fans over.
What was the inspiration for the character? Well according to Waititi in a recent TV interview with All 4’s The Last Leg, it was various bouncers he has met across New Zealand:
“In New Zealand we have a lot of giant, hulking bouncers and that’s their accent, dudes with very delicate souls. It’s very intimidating when you try to get into a nightclub…and it’s hard to decide what to do in that situation. Do you pick a fight with them because the voice betrays who they are. They end up breaking a lot of legs.”
There’s no question that Korg was one of Thor: Ragnarok‘s highlights, somehow managing to stand out in a film already replete with comedic characters and funny moments. Have you ever met a bouncer like Korg?
In Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok,” Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk.
Thor: Ragnarok is directed by Taika Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows) and features a cast that includes Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Idris Elba as Heimdall and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster, Karl Urban as Skurge, Taika Waititi as Korg, Clancy Brown as Surtur, Rachel House as Topaz, Tadanobu Asano as Hogun, Ray Stevenson as Volstagg and Zachary Levi as Fandral.