Thursday, May 23, 2013

RAY STEVENSON: How a Gay Gangster on ‘Dexter’ Inspired A Norse God in ‘Thor’ (WALL STREET JOURNAL) By Alexandra Cheney


Isaac Sirko was a gay Ukrainian gangster who sacrificed his life for the man he loved. In the seventh season of “Dexter,” actor Ray Stevenson portrayed the mobster, in a role he called “not just being the villain of the week.”

“I didn’t try to lionize it or make it grandiose,” Stevenson said. “I think love is love and Isaac had a full deep meaningful relationship but he still had the propensity to be a stone cold killer.”

Stevenson said he borrowed some of that “tough alpha man” that defined Isaac to reprise his role as the warrior Volstagg in “Thor: The Dark World,” the sequel to the 2011 Marvel Entertainment film.

The film was shot on location outside London. Stevenson chatted with Speakeasy about his character, the health of Asgard, and who Thor, the God of Thunder, played by Chris Hemsworth, really is.

Speakeasy: Has Asgard lost its luster in “Thor: The Dark World”?

Ray Stevenson: In the first “Thor” Asgard had this tremendous peace among the 9 realms. They were riding at the heights. Everything is working and looking as it should be. In this one, the realms are being whipped up into various rebellions. There is a darker malignant force out there and we are in the process of engaging in long protracted skirmishes and battles. The luster and shine of the city has been taken off and it all leads to a huge assault, an attack at the heart of Asgard. It could be completely wiped out, the stakes are a lot higher.

And what do we see of Volstagg?

He’s great on a battlefield. He is one of the warriors three and doing what they do, their time is spent fighting on many different fronts. They’re not always fighting together. Volstagg is struggling, he has a brood, they are fighting for hearth and home as much as for the idea of Asgard itself. That’s where he has trouble.

What do you mean?

He’s all too aware of how potentially threatening this new enemy is on both the home front and the battlefield.




1 comment:

sparkle13 said...

fighting to protect the Volbabies and Volkids!