THOR: THE DARK WORLD: ‘Kurse’ Is A “Lava-Like Bull,” Says Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Making yet another effort to discuss his dual villain role in the Marvel sequel, while promoting his recent actioner, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje talks about filming Thor: The Dark World.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje recently spoke with the LA Times’ Hero Complex about his role as the baddie of Bullet of the Head as well as Marvel’s second Phase Two venture, Thor: The Dark World. Seemingly indicating that Algrim the Strong/Kurse’s comic counterparts will translate directly on-screen, Adewale says, “It’s an amalgamation of a bull and a lava-like creature. He has very animalistic tendencies but with this insatiable and unstoppable power. As an actor, that’s one of the hardest things to embody. You have to realize you are probably the most powerful thing you could imagine. And you have to be that. You can’t pretend, so that when you face Thor, it’s real.”
Rehashing on the filming process, Akinnuoye-Agbaje continues, “The outfit weighed about 40 pounds. I’m sure there will be a certain amount of CGI but a good 80% was me in that suit,” said Akinnuoye-Agbaje. “The outfit informed how I was going to move – the horns – his fighting style as well. It’s almost like he’s made out of stone.” In a separate interview with Media Mikes, the English actor lengthily added that the Alan Taylor-directed Thor: The Dark World provided “A huge opportunity to pull double duty. In order to prepare you obviously go through and read the comics and research the characters history. You also look at the imagery and have discussions with Marvel and the directors to see their vision for the characters. Then the rest is left for the designers who create the costumes, which really then assists in your performance. Specifically for Kurse, it was very much looking at the costume and what I thought it would embody. For instance it had a certain look, so I used that look for his interpretive actions. I found that very useful. So with the horns and everything, I just went with that flow and tried to define a way of moving and fighting that was in the rhythm and the way that he looked. With Algrim, again the aesthetic look and the outfit really factored in as does the location and the set. From the moment you step into that world, you immediately become that character. You make them real. So in a way you have to ground the character in reality that makes it normal for them to be in that world. I believe and hope that we have done that well in this & that the audiences are going to enjoy it.”
Marvel Studios’ “Thor: The Dark World” continues the big-screen adventures of Thor, the Mighty Avenger, as he battles to save Earth and all the Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel’s “Thor” and “Marvel’s The Avengers,” Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos…but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness. Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all. Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kat Dennings, Ray Stevenson, Zachary Levi, Tadanobu Asano and Jaimie Alexander with Rene Russo & Anthony Hopkins as Odin, “Thor: The Dark World” is directed by Alan Taylor, produced by Kevin Feige, from a story by Don Payne (credit not final) and screenplay by Christopher Yost and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (credit not final) and is based on Marvel’s classic Super Hero Thor, who first appeared in the comic book “Journey into Mystery” #83 in August, 1962. “Thor: The Dark World” is presented by Marvel Studios. The executive producers are Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Craig Kyle and Nigel Gostelow. The film releases November 8, 2013, and is distributed by Walt Disney Studios.