In honor of National Administrative Professionals Day today (an American holiday recognizing the work of secretaries, receptionists, administrative assistants, and the various other administrative support professionals who put up with people’s bullshit year-round), Sony released a feature honoring the Ghostbusters’ own administrative professional: Chris Hemsworth’s Kevin.
The clip has several interviews in which cast members discuss Chris Hemsworth’s comedic chops, and shows off several of his ‘bits’ from the film. To be honest, I’ve never thought of Hemsworth as a funny actor before, despite his work in Cabin in the Woods and Vacation, but some of the moments from this feature—particularly the coffee scene—seem pretty amazing.
If anything, Kevin reminds me a little bit of Hemsworth’s take on Thor. In both roles, I feel like he’s very aware of the way many people perceive him (“he’s so gorgeous that he must be stupid; God doesn’t give with both hands, you know”) and enjoys both subverting those expectations and playing into them. I hope that Kevin’s role is ultimately more substantial than just ‘the dumb, pretty one,’ but, if nothing else, I’m optimistic Hemsworth will be able to imbue the part with a little bit more nuance. The feature hints that Kevin has his own dreams to become a Ghostbuster, and it should definitely be interesting to watch that arc play out.
It’s worth pointing out that Administrative Professionals Day is actually a pretty great holiday in that it acknowledges professionals who often don’t get the credit they deserve, partially because secretarial work is frequently seen as ‘women’s work.’ In reality, of course, people of all genders hold administrative positions, but the field overall is still seeing as being ‘for women,’ and therefore undervalued. Because of that, I’m glad this video focuses on Chris Hemsworth’s comedic chops more than making fun of Kevin; this wouldn’t have been a very fitting tribute for today if it had just focused on the character’s looks or perceived stupidity.
Ghostbusters come out July 15th and stars Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, Melissa McCarthy, and Chris Hemsworth.
(via Pajiba)
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
Follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google+.
