Chris Hemsworth did "a lot of work" to prepare for his nude scene in 'Thor: Love and Thunder'

The actor - who stars alongside Natalie Portman in the new movie - told 'Entertainment Tonight': "I mean, it was kind of 10, 11 years in the making, that shot.

"In each film we've taken off another item of clothing, and now we just kind of took it all off."

Chris - who embarked on an intense fitness plan before shooting the movie - admits the director was the driving force behind the scene.

Asked what made him reprise the character for the new Marvel movie, Chris joked: "Obviously a contractual obligation. If it was my choice it wouldn't have happened!"

Chris has played Thor for more than a decade, and the Hollywood star previously confessed to over-training in the early years.

Chris explained that his intense workout regime actually had a detrimental impact on his energy levels.

He shared: "For years I probably over-trained.

"People who do muscle-building often don't realise it's a sport that shouldn't be seven days a week, two hours a day. I was doing that in the previous Thors, and was coming up sorer, with less energy."

Chris actually adopts an athlete-like approach to his preparation - but he ultimately finds the experience to be "incredibly rewarding".

He said: "The training across ten years of doing it is a full-time job. That and then a 12-hour shooting day - it's real grind. It's incredibly rewarding, too - you have to look at it like a professional athlete."