BLOG: Chris Hemsworth gave up meat for ONE morning ahead of his kiss scene with vegan co-star Natalie Portman for the upcoming Thor movie. That’s nice, but why would the media gush about it? Claire Hamlett ponders.

Dozens of media outlets have found it noteworthy that Thor star Chris Hemsworth avoided meat for a single morning before he was due to kiss vegan actor Natalie Portman for a film scene. “Chris Hemsworth is every bit as super offscreen as the Marvel hero he plays,” CNN gushed. “Chris Hemsworth is one considerate costar,” enthused People.

Sure, it’s nice that Hemsworth had enough respect for his co-star to make the gesture, but the fawning reports on it have been a little nauseating. Viewing a random selection of the articles, not one of them reflected on whether, in order to maintain his muscles, Hemsworth really needs to “eat meat like every half hour” as Portman put it (only a slight exaggeration of his ten usually meaty meals a day), nor whether his purported kindness couldn’t also extend to the animals sacrificed for the sake of aesthetics.

It betrays how uncritically much of the media and the public still view the issue of meat-eating that none of these outlets considered Hemsworth’s diet in the context of the motivations for Portman’s veganism, namely animal rights and the environmental impact of industrial animal agriculture. These are not exactly niche concerns anymore, but are increasingly part of mainstream discourse. Yet Hemsworth’s excessive meat consumption is accepted as necessary and justified, as though it occurs in isolation from the cruel and polluting system that Portman opposes.

Not only is it entirely possible to pack on muscle as a vegan - take a look at these vegan bodybuilders for proof, and of course Portman herself bulked up for the new Thor film while maintaining her veganism - but Hemsworth has in fact got in shape for a previous Thor movie without relying on meat. His personal trainer Luke Zocchi has said he ate plant-based while filming The Avengers which came out in 2012. “It was a big experiment we tried to see if he could keep all his muscle being vegan,” said Zocchi. “It actually surprised me as well because we’re all in this mentality of ‘gotta eat animal protein, protein, protein’ but you can get a lot of protein from beans.”

Many reports have also quoted Portman, who is married to a non-vegan, as saying that she didn’t ask him to avoid meat before their kiss, and, “That’s not something I’m angry about or care about, but he was just being thoughtful.” The message conveyed by this quote being highlighted is that Portman is not one of those preachy vegans but the tolerant kind who doesn’t challenge other people’s addiction to meat. In reality, Portman has been a vocal critic of animal agriculture and argued that gender inequality and animal exploitation are linked at a screening of a documentary on factory farming she narrated. This type of advocacy is more palatable for some people because it is aimed at an industry rather than at an individual; it’s easy to feel bad for factory-farmed animals as long as you’re not asked to take any personal responsibility for supporting such a system.

Surely it shouldn’t be beyond newspapers such as the LA Times, the Independent, and CNN to acknowledge that Hemsworth was being thoughtful while also acknowledging the harm that a meat-heavy diet causes to animals and the planet.

Claire Hamlett is a freelance journalist, writer and regular contributor at Surge. Based in Oxford, UK, Claire tells stories that challenge systemic exploitation of and disregard for animals and the environment and that point to a better way of doing things.

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