While Thor: The Dark World is filled with strong male characters — good and bad — it isn’t just a boys club. In a world of Gods, there is also a Goddess. In the ultimate portrayal of girl power, Sif, the Goddess of War is beautiful, passionate and she kicks some serious butt.
Sif (Jaimie Alexander) is no damsel in distress, rather this hardcore gal is vital in the effort to save the universe. She’s an Asgardian warrior and she’s pretty awesome.
In real life, Jaimie Alexander may not wield a sword (well at least not most days), but she is just as tough with a sexy side that seams to come naturally without even trying. Growing up with four brothers, Jaimie can hold her own in a boys club and that kind of makes her perfect for the role.
Q : How does it feel to be a female character in a Marvel movie?
Jaimie Alexander : Oh, man. It’s an amazing feeling. Especially when the character is written so well like my character is. You know it’s about her personality and the physically follows. And I think that’s the way to write a female character really well, and Marvel does that. So, for me it’s been a dream come true for me.
Q : How did you prepare yourself for this role?
Jaimie Alexander : I worked with a dialect coach to have a British accent, and then I also trained for about two months weight lifting, yoga, Pilates, on the Reformer. And I did a lot of fight training with a wonderful stunt girl named Chloe Bruce. She is a world champion martial artist, and yeah, she’s a little scary. I mean, when you first meet her, she’s great. And then you’re like, “Oh. Whoa. You can bend your leg that way. I’m gonna go over here.”
(photo: MomStart)
Q : Is there a side of your character we’ll see in part two that we didn’t see in the first movie?
Jaimie Alexander : Yes, actually. You get to see a very vulnerable side of Sif. And you also get to see what her fellow Asgardians mean to her. In the first movie, we explored that a little bit. She’s very protective. Her first priority is to protect her fellow Asgardians and the throne. This one, there’s a little bit of heartache, but it’s really amazing, because she’s very selfless. The heartache is definitely an underlying tone to her. And then she kind of puts it aside and says, “You know what? I have lives to save. I’m gonna put that first,” so you kinda get to see what she’s made of.
Q : What did you like best about Sif?
Jaimie Alexander : You know, again, I like that she’s selfless, and, actually, in a way that’s one of her greatest strengths, but it’s also her downfall. Um, she really puts everyone else first, and also she’s not afraid to give her opinion. She does it respectfully, but she definitely stands up for what she believes in. So, I can appreciate that, and I try to adopt that in my own life as much as I can. Without scaring people. I don’t carry a weapon.
(photo: Disney)
Q : Have you gotten a lot of feedback from younger girl fans who are following you?
Jaimie Alexander : Yeah. You know, it’s great, because I actually speak at schools, and I speak out about positive body image. I know, you guys look at me and, you’re like, “You’re tall. You’re kind of thin. Blah blah blah.” Um, I have less an A cup, okay? So there are things about me that aren’t Hollywood standard. And I actually really like it. I have tattoos. I grew up with four brothers. I was a high school wrestler. I did all of these things that aren’t typical of a young woman.
So, for me, I like to embrace that side of my personality and let my, I guess my uniqueness, show, and I try to say to young women, I say, “Don’t be afraid of yourself.”
You know, “Work what your momma gave you, and appreciate it, because everybody is different, and nobody is duplicates, so no one can actually be you, so you have that above everyone else.” And I try to incorporate that in Lady Sif, where her costume is — she’s covered. She’s not revealing anything. Yet, she’s feminine. But she’s also tough, so you really see her personality before you see her physicality, and that’s most important.
Q : Along the same lines, for young girls looking to you as their superheroes, is there anyone that you looked up to, growing up?
Jaimie Alexander : Yes, there was a superhero named Wonder Woman that I definitely looked up to growing up, and actually Sigourney Weaver. She was always my favorite. She seemed to embody a sense of humor, while being stoic and being powerful, and also being feminine. And, to me, she is the ideal woman. So, if I was a guy I would probably be like, “Go out with me,” but, yeah. She’s amazing. She’s incredible. And I always looked up to her and the characters she played.
And, actually, Walt Simonson, who had a great deal to do with my character back in the Seventies saw Sigourney Weaver walking down a street in a red trenchcoat in the 1970s, and said, “That’s gonna be Sif.” So, actually my character is modeled after Sigourney Weaver, so, to me, that’s come full circle.
(photo: Disney)
Q : Are we going to see you pop up in “Avengers 2”?
Jaimie Alexander : You know what? I would absolutely love that. But they haven’t told me a yes or a no, so I have no idea. And I think that they did that on purpose, so I wouldn’t spill the beans. So I’m not sure. But, fingers crossed, that would be a very fun thing to do.
Q : What was your favorite part of the film?
Jaimie Alexander : There’s an opening battle sequence that I had a blast doing. I got to do a backflip off a horse. Which, you know, if anybody knew me really well, they’d be like, “Let’s not put her anywhere near a horse.” But I did it, and it was a lot of fun, and several wires involved and stunt women. But it was a lot of fun, and that sequence was so great. There’s a lot of humor in it and that sort of thing. And there’s also another part that we did, but you guys will have to wait to see it. It’s a corridor scene with Thor and Loki. And it’s pretty funny.
Q : Did you do your action stunts yourself?
Jaimie Alexander : I do, yeah. I like it. I’m like, that right amount of crazy. But there are certain things that I’m not allowed to do. Like anything with fire. I can’t be lit on fire, clearly, because I wouldn’t be able to finish the film. I would look a little different. But as for the jumps, the fighting, the weapons, I do most of my own. There are some things that Sif does that are just completely impossible for any human being to do, and that’s when the CGI comes in, but it’s rare.
Q : Sif really cares a lot about Asgard. So, if she could only choose one person from Asgard to leave with, who would she pick?
Jaimie Alexander : I would have to say Thor, and the only reason is because he is the future of Asgard, and he’s still a bit of a smart-ass, but he also is very noble, and he’s very humble, and I think for her that’s partly why she cares so much for him, even more than she used to. So I believe that she would choose him, because that would ensure the safety of all of the Asgardians. And he has a hammer.
Q : So, what would you like to see your character do next? If you had the opportunity to play her again?
Jaimie Alexander : You know, I think it would be fun to play two different characters. So I would love to see Lady Loki come into the picture, because I do believe that they would have me play both, which would be fun. So, selfishly, I would like to see Lady Loki happen.
(photo: MomStart)
For more about Thor, check out my red carpet premiere pictures and movie review and meet Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
Love all the strong women in Thor, but Sif my favorite!
I can’t wait to see this film, looks like it’s going to be a great one!
What a great interview and experience! She seems very candid and easy to interview. So looking forward to the movie!
I’m looking forward to seeing this movie. It looks awesome!!!
You met Jaimie Alexander? WOW! Can’t wait to see the movie!