FIVE foot nine and statuesque, 27-year-old LA-based, Texas-raised actor Jamie Alexander struggled to score sizeable Hollywood roles until the Marvel Comics epic blockbuster Thor struck her path.
The dark-haired beauty's Amazonian physique was mandatory for the role of Asgardian goddess warrior Sif, who battles beside the blonde and tremendously buff Norse God of Thunder, played by former Home and Away hottie Chris Hemsworth.
“I started training three months prior to filming. They had me doing heavy lifting, running and flexibility workouts and then when the guys came to town, the six of us trained in martial arts, yoga and stunt fighting; it was like being in high school sports all over again,” Alexander laughed.
“I dislocated two ribs on my right side; I tried to reach really high for something and I popped them out of place. I wore two corsets in the film - one on top of the other - so they acted as a back brace and my injury healed a lot faster than it would have if I was walking around in my normal clothes.”
Film advisors gave strict instructions to the striking actor, best known as Jessi on US TV sci-fi drama Kyle XY, to tone up and avoid getting skinny. Never wanting to become overtly lean, Alexander was pleased to follow orders.
“I started eating fish, beans, broccoli, grains and rice to clean my body out and then eventually - because I kept burning so many calories with the stunt practice and weight-lifting - I started eating pizza and cookies; anything I could to give my body fuel,” she said.
“I was required to wear a monitoring device to make sure I was eating enough for how many calories I was burning. Kenneth Branagh (director) wanted me to be a positive role model for young women and he made sure I had a healthy strong body, which I respected him for.”
Sister to four Marvel Comics fanatics, Alexander grew up reading X-Men, Spiderman and the odd copy of Thor.
Her favourite publication, however, was the DC Comics series Wonder Woman.
“Sif is almost like a sophisticated Wonder Woman without the hot pants, high heels and strapless outfits; she's more well-rounded, which I like,” Alexander said.
“She is viewed as the Princess of Asgard (her homeland); Thor's right hand man, so to speak. Protecting Asgard and the king is her life.”
Neglected in the film adaptation is the romance between the two heroes. So will there be a sequel with this angle?
“It's a possibility. There will be ways Sif looks at Thor and you wonder if there is something there. We want to make sure all the possibilities are open, so Marvel can choose if it wants to pursue that route in the future.”
Thor is in cinemas now.
Sara Fitzpatrick